


Ascending Triumvirate

by Darc (GothAlbinoAngel)



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Disney - All Media Types, The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Ben's doing his best, Evie's a princess and it shows, F/F, F/M, Jay and Carlos are concerned brothers, Lonnie and Jane are support team for their disaster friends, M/M, Mal just wants to rest, Multi, Nightmares, Politics, Polyamory, Starvation, Uma and Harry are cute together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2020-09-27 12:02:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20407435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothAlbinoAngel/pseuds/Darc
Summary: During the showdown, Uma changes her mind. Instead of giving Ben up for the wand, she decides to keep Evie instead. With no other choice if they want to get Ben off the Isle safely, Evie agrees to the trade.Somehow, this is... good. Now, Evie has a chance to teach the Isle kids everything she learned in Auradon and make changes to the terrible island conditions. As Mal and Ben try to rekindle their relationship and Jay and Carlos try thinking of ways to get her back, Evie ascends to her rightful place, the place her mother trained her to be. Princess of the Isle.





	1. New Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie reminisces about the first time she met her big sister Snow, and Uma makes some last minute changes to the deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been listening to Ciclo Sin Fin on repeat while writing this. I'm so excited to try out a new pairing!

Evie groaned internally as she stared up at the ceiling. Cotilion was way too close for her to be doing this. She still had to deliver the last of the orders to her customers and put the finishing touches on her dress. Once that was done, she still had to check in with Snow and make sure the camera crew was ready for tomorrow night. She wanted everything to be perfect, though, she wasn't sure it would be with Mal and Ben being on the outs with one another. 

Maybe she could ask Snow about it. She had accepted Evie with surprisingly open arms shortly after the coronation. Evie smiled at the memory. 

_Evie made her way over to the refreshment table. She couldn't keep dancing with everyone without staying hydrated. She was no stranger to exercise, but her mother taught her that sweat was not something to be seen on a princess. _

_As she was pouring herself some water, someone came up behind her and cleared their throat. Evie turned and nearly choked. Snow White, **the** Snow White, stood behind her with a small smile curling her lips._

_"Um, sorry!" Evie squeaked, hurriedly turning. She remembered Family Day. She really didn't want a repeat of that. She needed to disappear and quickly._

_A hand gently caught her arm and Evie froze, turning back nervously. "You're Evie, right?" Snow White asked, her smile not faltering._

_"Y-yeah. I mean yes, um, I'm... Evie." Evie curtsied like she had been taught, her nerves buzzing as she wondered what **the** Snow White would want with her._

_"Would you mind joining me?" Snow White inclined her head toward an area away from the music where people were talking with one another._

_"I, uh, I mean, i-if you don't mind." Evie had no idea what to make of the situation. Her mother had caused this woman a lot of trouble. Why would she talk to Evie?_

_Snow White led Evie over to a pair of empty chairs and they took a seat. Evie couldn't relax. Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she waited for whatever Snow White wanted to tell her. Would she be like Queen Leah? Would she accuse Evie of being like her mother?_

_"Your dress is beautiful," Snow White finally said, making Evie jump. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize your prowess earlier. They hadn't informed me who the designers were."_

_"No! I-! That's fine!" Evie tucked some of her hair behind her ear, her cheeks flaming. "N-no one would have recognized my name anyway. I'm, um, not really someone important enough for people to-to know."_

_Snow White chuckled and finally looked over to her. "It is beautiful handiwork. You could rise quickly in Auradon's fashion industry with taste like that."_

_Evie's eyes widened and she asked, hopefully, "You really think so?" _

_"I've been calling these people's names for years," Snow White told her with a sly smile. "Eventually, they all begin looking exactly the same. But your style is something uniquely your own. Your eye for color and material will make you stand out."_

_"That's-!" Evie stopped herself. What if Snow White thought she was full of herself like her mother? No, best to tone it back. "Thank you for-for thinking so."_

_Snow White sighed and pulled something from her purse. She presented a shiny red apple to Evie and asked, "Care to share with me?"_

_Evie's cheeks paled and she scooted slightly away. "I, um, n-no thank you, I'm allergic."_

_"Huh, that's ironic," Snow White muttered, shrugging and taking a small bite herself. Evie watched her in awe and the queen noticed. "Is something wrong?"_

_"Wa-well no." Evie didn't know how to say it so she blurted quietly. "Aren't you... afraid of apples? A-after... my... my mom...?"_

_"If I may be frank, Evie?" Snow White asked, gaining a nod. "You don't seem the type to poison anyone." Evie cringed and Snow White nodded. "Case and point. And with your mother on that island, there's no one who would want to kill me. It took me **years** to not be afraid of apples anymore, but they taught me that the person behind a product is the one with the evil intentions. _

_"You have kept your existence so subtle over here that I didn't even know who you were until today. That alone proved to me that I shouldn't be afraid of you just because of who your mother is."_

_Evie felt warmth flood her chest at hearing **the** Snow White, the woman her mother made miserable, speak that way. "Thank you," she whispered._

_Snow White smiled gently down at her. "How about we take a walk around Auradon Prep's garden tomorrow? I would love to get to know my stepsister."_

_ **Stepsister.**_

_Evie couldn't help the huge grin that split her face. "I'd really like that."_

_"Perfect!" Snow White clapped her hands together. "I'll be by tomorrow, then. For now, aren't we supposed to be having fun? It's a party!"_

From then on, Snow had made it her mission to help Evie break out of the shell her mother had put around her. Evie wondered what Snow would say if she found out Evie had returned to the Isle.

_She'd probably want details about the place and the adventure,_ Evie thought with a smile. 

"It's almost time for the boys to get here," Mal told Evie, walking over. "Let's get this over with."

Evie nodded. They met up with the boys... and Lonnie... and _Dude_, and headed out to Uma's ship. Personally, Evie hated the idea of being on a ship. Everyone in Uma's crew knew how to swim, whereas of the five of them, only Lonnie had learned. If any one of them fell in, it would be over. The waters near the Isle weren't shallow.

Time ticked down as the standoff began. Uma wanted the wand, Mal wanted Ben. Neither was budging on the matter. Mal just wanted to get Ben off the Isle and all her friends back to Auradon. The last thing she needed was any of them getting stuck here. 

Uma didn't trust that wand for a second. She didn't like how easily the group had brought it. It could just be that Mal was so selfish she would sacrifice those prissy princesses and gowns for her boyfriend, but something still seemed off to Uma. 

"Hold up," she said as Mal made to hand the wand over. She needed to check. "Too easy. Give us a test run."

Mal rolled her eyes, but Uma saw the unease in the expression. She thought so. Something was up. However, maybe not as Mal turned to the dog that had followed the Auradon VKs in. 

"Although it seems absurd, turn your bark into a word." Mal could have _kissed_ someone for Dude having stowed away in the car. _Thank fairies for Carlos' insecurity._

"Does this outfit make me look fat?" Dude asked. 

As soon as she saw the smile on Uma's face, Mal knew victory was assured. She held up the wand for emphasis, but frowned when Uma hesitated. Why? She showed that the wand worked, why hesitate? 

"Are you going to give us Ben or not?" Mal demanded, brandishing the wand. 

Something was still wrong. No, even if they were to get free with the wand, assuming they could, those Auradonians would just band together and take them all down all over again. That wouldn't do. They had countless magical creatures and artifacts over there. Uma needed a plan, a way to get them all safely from the Isle without Auradon being able to stop them. And Mal had delivered all the keys necessary.

"No," Uma murmured, stepping back. "I think I've changed my mind."

Mal's eyes narrowed furiously. "We brought the wand just like you wanted! You said we could get Ben-!"

"I _said!_" Uma shouted, shutting Mal up. "That I've changed my mind. I don't want the wand."

That's right. It's a fairy's wand anyway, a different type of magic than her own. It likely wouldn't even work for a non-fairy. However, there's no _way_ Mal would leave one of her little friends to rot on the Isle after they'd tasted freedom. Her eyes moved from the dog Mal had just spelled and roved over Mal's group. Her eyes stopped on an innocently concerned face and she smirked.

"I'll give you King boy," Uma stated, her eyes locking with brown ones. "If you give me Princess over there."


	2. Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie agrees to Uma's terms and returns to her mother's castle. Meanwhile, Snow and Jay are less than pleased at the current predicament.

Silence weighed in the air for all of a moment before Mal, Jay, and Lonnie exploded.

"Not on your _life!_" Mal snarled, gripping the fake wand as tightly as she could without breaking it. Her body moved on instinct, backing up to plant herself protectively in front of Evie.

"You're not taking Evie!" Jay roared, Lonnie holding him back despite his struggles. "I'll throw you into the ocean before you get her!"

Evie watched her friends devolve into threats on her behalf. She looked up at the plank where Harry still had a tight hold on Ben. Her eyes met Harry's and he smirked at her with a shrug. Evie's gaze moved to Ben and she found helplessness reflected back at her. That's right, he had no clue how Isle politics worked. 

Mal and Jay were still shouting at Uma, but Evie knew what needed to be done, the _good_ thing to do. She had failed to act once and that had led to this. She had another chance to make things right. Stepping forward, she cleared her throat. "I'll stay here."

"Don't worry about it, Evie," Carlos reassured her, keeping an eye on all of the pirates. "We're not making that trade."

Evie sighed and stepped around Mal, standing between her and Uma. Addressing Uma directly, she said, "I'll stay on the Isle with your crew, but only if you let Ben go without hurting him."

"No!" The shout came from Mal, but all eyes turned to Ben as well. He struggled in Harry's grip, his eyes focused solely on Evie. "Evie don't do it!"

Evie shook her head. "Ben, this is the way it has to be-."

"I promised!" Ben interrupted her. "I _promised_ I wouldn't leave you here!"

"Then you're just going to have to break it," Evie told him sadly, though the smile never left her face. "Uma, make the trade. Ben has a country to run."

Uma frowned at being ordered around, but she raised a hand to Harry. Instead of untying Ben, Harry just brought him down from the plank and thrust him at Mal. Mal caught Ben as Uma grabbed Evie's arm. Despite how forcefully she did it, she still kept her grip light. She didn't want to hurt the Princess.

"Alright," Uma sneered at Mal. "You've got your King. You can get off our island now."

Mal glared at Uma, her eyes flicking to Evie. Evie gave her a small smile and a nod. Ben stared over at Evie dejectedly. He had promised he wouldn't let her get stuck there. It was supposed to be the wand, not her. He tried one last time, he had to. "Uma, please. Don't do this. You can be better than this."

"How you figure?" Uma demanded quietly. "You have us trapped on an island with rotten food and no freedom. You said earlier that other kids were supposed to be brought over too. Guess that decree of yours didn't mean anything after you got the girl you wanted, huh?" 

Ben lowered his head in shame. He really did want to get the kids off the island. But everything was so hectic... He should have made the time. 

Uma nodded. "Thought so. Don't start pretending you care now, _Your Majesty._ Get off my turf. This island has enough liars. We don't need one more."

Mal's knuckles were white as she gripped Ben's jacket and guided him away. She looked back just before leaving, seeing Evie watching them all. Mal lowered her head as she silently said goodbye to her best friend.

Once they were out of sight, Uma turned to Evie and crossed her arms. Evie waited calmly for whatever might happen next. Imprisonment? Maiming? Servitude? Any of that would be preferable to what she was going to have to endure here on the Isle. 

After a moment, some more crewmembers strode in. "They're gone, Uma," they called. "Their flashy little limo just left and the barrier closed."

Uma lowered her arms with a sigh. "Guess that's that then. Good work, boys! Let's call it a day." She turned away from Evie, ready to head home.

Evie's eyebrows furrowed and she asked, "Wait, that's it? You're not going to hurt me?" 

"Why would I?" Uma turned to her in confusion. 

"Well..." Evie shifted. "Mal made it seem like you were vicious and bloodthirsty. I just thought Ursula had been even harder on you, like Maleficent was on her..."

Uma gave a snicker. "Mal really painted me out that way, huh? Figures she would make me sound like a real villain. Listen, Princess, I don't really subscribe to the idea of hurting people who don't deserve it. Those Auradonians? I wanna set'em all on fire for trapping us here. But you haven't done a single thing to me. Mal was supposed to set us free and she went back on her word. This was personal, but not towards you. You're just collateral."

Uma turned away with a wave. "Show up to my mom's diner tomorrow at noon. You're gonna be my new assistant."

Evie watched her go and gave a soft sigh. She really _didn't_ want to go back to... _Her_. But what other choice did she have? She didn't. 

With slow footsteps, Evie made her way through the Isle. She kept a low profile, blending into the shadows so no one took notice of her. She... really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Not when her nerves were already vibrating. 

She found herself in front of her mother's castle far sooner than she would have liked. Slowly, she raised her hand and knocked. _Please be out, please be out, please be-._ The door opened and Evie's heart sank.

Who in Tartarus could be knocking at her door at this time of day? Rarely anyone came to visit her. If it was someone begging for scraps or shelter, she was going to throw her brush at their-.

"Evie!" Grimhilde shouted excitedly. She couldn't believe it! She was back!

"Uh, hi, Mom." Evie tried to smile, but it fell rather quickly. She didn't want to be here, didn't want to be at this place. She wanted to run so far away from this castle... "I'm, um, back. Indeterminately."

Grimhilde raised an eyebrow at that. "Tried to poison someone like your mother, did you? Should have been more subtle, my dear!"

"Well, you know. Didn't have a choice in the matter." Evie didn't bother correcting her. 

Grimhilde tsked as she led Evie inside. "And what is going on with your face? I can see all of your pores just jumping right at me. And those bags under your eyes are atrocious. I thought I told you the first rule of makeup was ensuring no one could see what you _actually_ look like. Don't even get me started on your weight. No wonder that King went for Mal. I always told you, men prefer the petite girls! Ugh, and your _hair!_ What have I _told_ you about volume? That's why we kept it curly, dear girl, otherwise-."

As her mother rambled on, Evie felt her mind sinking further and further into figurative darkness. She simply listened as each critique came to her, nodding along obediently. _Welcome home,_ she thought bitterly.

_ **...** _

"YOU DID _**WHAT?**_" 

Mal flinched at the tone. Ben bowed his head in shame, feeling guilt crush his chest. They had just told most of the Royal Court what had happened and some of the reactions were... less than pleased, to say the least.

Beau stepped up. "Snow, please calm down. We need to figure this situation out."

Snow White tended to keep her calm quite well. She was one of the calmest queens in Auradon, but she absolutely refused to be calm right now. Not after the absolute hogwash she'd just heard.

"You want me to be calm?" she demanded of Beau. "You want me to remain calm when one of the children was forced _back_ to the Isle? Isn't it supposed to be his job to bring those kids over? He's the one who made the proclamation. Instead, he's letting them get trapped back over there!"

"Snow," Belle sighed. "We know you and Evie were close, but we all need to keep level heads. She was doing what she thought best in the situation. It was either her or the King-."

"It wouldn't have had to be if the King was doing his job instead of fawning over his new pet Islander!" Snow snapped.

Gasps rang through the hall and Snow took a deep breath, her hands shaking. She knew she was out of line, but she was one of the only two people in the room who knew the extent of the damage Grimhilde had done to Evie. For her to get trapped back on that island with that woman and no allies... 

Beau growled lowly. "I will _not_ have you talk of your King that way!"

"I don't want to hear it from you, Beau," Snow huffed. "You were waiting for the moment any of the kids turned evil. It probably fills you with relief that another villain's child is back on that island. Less for you to keep track of."

Beau's fists clenched, but Belle kept a hand on his arm to keep him grounded. "Snow, I know you're upset, but we'll think of a way to get Evie where she belongs, okay? Please calm down."

Snow took another deep breath. "I... need to go. I can't... be here right now. Not with them." She curtsied to Belle and turned. "I'm going home. Call me when there's an _actual_ solution to the children on the Isle."

She strode from the room and heavy silence filled the air in her absence. "She's right," Ben said softly. "This happened because Uma wanted better for the kids on the Isle and I haven't been doing a good enough job of getting them out of there."

"How do we know there aren't more like her, though?" Ariel asked, looking around. "How do we know there aren't more kids willing to take hostages and commit murder to get what they want?"

"How do we know there aren't more like Evie?" Cinderella pointed out. "There could be more children with kind hearts like hers that are stuck with those evil, vile people."

"There is no way to tell," Jasmine piped in. "But is it right to make innocents suffer when we can do something good for them? I mean, we can always send them back to the Isle if they prove themselves unfit for Auradon. But shouldn't we _try?_ Evie sacrificed herself, willingly, for the King. She could be such a good influence on those kids if they got the chance to get over here."

Everyone shifted uncertainly and Beau sighed. "I think it would be best if we all table this for now. We need time to digest what's happened."

Nods and murmurs of agreement echoed around the room and the Court began filing out. Ben sank into a chair and pressed a hand over his eyes. Mal stood behind his chair, her fingers gripping the back tightly. Belle and Beau eyed the two of them sympathetically. 

"Ben, I really am sorry about what happened to Evie," Belle whispered. "We'll get her back."

Ben didn't say anything as his parents filed out. Carlos and Jay snuck in once they were sure everyone was gone. "So?" Carlos asked. "What's the plan?"

"We don't have one," Mal told them quietly.

"But, we _are_ gonna go back for her right?" Carlos pressed. 

Mal said nothing and Jay stared at her incredulously. "Mal, you can't be serious! You remember what she had to go through over there, right? You're just gonna leave her to that?"

"What choice do we have, Jay?" Mal demanded. "If we go back over now, Uma will be expecting it, she'll try to get at Ben again, or she'll take Evie as hostage this time and she _won't_ change her mind about the wand." Ben's chair started cracking in her grip. "There's too much at risk. We have to wait."

Carlos and Jay shared glances, their expressions falling. Unfortunately, with no better plan, they couldn't argue. Carlos looked down at his feet. "She's gonna be in such bad condition when we get her back..."

Mal's shoulders slumped, but she knew he was right. She hated this. She hated all of this. She never should have gone back to the Isle.


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uma and Harry discover Evie's living conditions and plot to help. Doug finds out what's been going on.

Uma paced the diner in agitation. She had specifically said noon, but it was five to one and the Princess still wasn't here. Uma turned to Harry with a growl, "We're going to go grab her. The rest of you sit tight. I'm gonna bring her back if I have to drag her by that pretty blue hair."

Harry snickered at the prospect and grinned at Gil. Gil straightened to make sure everything ran smoothly while they were gone and Harry followed Uma out of the diner. They made their way quickly through the Isle streets, passersby stepping out of their way quickly. No one wanted to anger Uma. Arriving at the castle, Uma motioned for Harry to remain quiet. She listened and heard voices closer to the front. Time for stealth.

The pair snuck through a window in one of the unoccupied rooms, taking stock of their surroundings. Should they need to hide, a wardrobe on the other side of the room looked like it would provide perfect cover. Uma slowly made her way out into the hall and to the room she'd heard the voices from. One was very distinctly Blue's, so she knew she was on the right track. Leaning right outside the room, she listened in, hoping to glean any info that might be useful.

"And I'm telling you, if you put the concealer on just right, I'm sure one of these Isle boys at least might find you attractive," The Evil Queen was saying as she applied her makeup with perfect precision. Evie sat across from her, reluctantly applying makeup to her own face. "If you can't attract a prince, at least one of the better off families over here should do."

"Of course, Mom," Evie said softly, her voice devoid of emotion. The crushing feeling in her chest hadn't lessened since the previous night, but she was doing all she could to crush her emotions down. Her mother would absolutely skin her if she caught her crying.

Grimhilde snorted derisively. "We need to get rid of that extra weight, too. Honestly, how could you let yourself get so big while over there? No wonder the King chose Maleficent's spawn. Petite girls always get the boys, Evie. No matter, a few days stuck here in the castle, and it'll probably all drop off no problem."

"Yes, Mom," Evie responded mechanically. She tried to think of Auradon and how happy she had been. Maybe detaching herself from the conversation would work. There's a first time for everything.

"Oh, and for Beauty's sake, find something to do about your hair. I can't imagine why you would straighten your beautiful curls. Volume makes you more noticeable, and those curls make you look exotic. You get that from me, of course."

Evie resisted rolling her eyes. "In Auradon, everyone's hair was curly so I thought straightening it would help me stand out." It was a partial lie, but what would her mother know.

"Well, a lot of good it did you, putting on weight and not enough makeup. It's no wonder those boys overlooked you." Grimhilde tsked in disappointment. 

Evie's chest twisted at the sound, but she kept her voice neutral. "If I get the chance to go back, I'll do better."

Her mother said nothing and Evie felt the pressure in her stomach ease a little. Was it over? "Oh stop frowning, Evie! What have I told you about lines and wrinkles!" 

Of course not. "Sorry, Mom."

Outside the room, Uma wasn't entirely sure what she was feeling. She knew not all of the Isle kids were on good terms with their parents, but she hadn't expected the Blue Princess to have this kind of home life. No wonder she made King boy promise she wouldn't get stuck here. And Uma brought her back to this. That didn't sit right in Uma's stomach, being the reason someone was stuck in a crappy situation. Usually, she'd blame Mal, but no, this one was on her. She should've just taken the wand. Then Blue wouldn't be stuck here.

Harry's lip curled at every word coming from the Evil Queen's mouth. He hated parents like that, talking down on their kids. And the pretty little Sapphire sounded almost empty, like a shell of the confident woman that had stood behind Mal on the ship. Harry felt something heavy in his chest. Part of why he liked her was because of her fire, her wit and sass, that silver tongue. But this cretin was taking Sapphire's spirit. That was unacceptable.

Uma stood and motioned to Harry, the two of them slipping back to the other room as the Evil Queen started in on her daughter's outfit. Harry gently shut the window behind them and they slowly made their way through the streets.

"That was more messed up than expected," Uma grumbled. 

"Agreed." Harry's jaw flexed. "The wee lass is quite easy on the eyes if I may say so. The woman's mad."

"Blue is the best lookin' chick on this island," Uma huffed. "But that witch wants her to change practically everything. No wonder she wanted to stay over in Auradon. I'd probably be a murderer with a mom like that."

Harry brightened and he raised his hook suggestively. Uma gave him a smile and put his hand down. "No, none of that. We gotta think of a way to get Her Royal Blueness out of the situation. It's clear she still cares for the witch. Girl has too big a heart."

"Hard to believe she came from a woman like that," Harry pouted. He wanted to hook someone, especially after the conversation he'd just heard. "She had such fire yesterday, such light."

"And now she sounds dead." Uma hated it. Mal was supposed to keep them all away from people like that, she was supposed to get them off the Isle. Instead, she'd abandoned them, and now she left her supposed best friend here just for the King. There was no telling how long until she decided to care enough to free them. Uma had hoped she'd wanna get the princess back as soon as possible, but it had been a whole day and still no news. Not even a hint of trying to free them.

Uma's fists clenched. If Mal wasn't going to be their savior, she would have to be, somehow. Especially since Blue came willingly. Uma knew the Isle was no place to be a hero, but she had to admire Blue's guts for willingly coming back to... this. Turning to Harry, she growled, "We're gonna get her out of there. It'll just take a day or two. But she's not going back to that witch again."

Harry bowed to her. "Your wish is my command. If it gets us the pretty Sapphire, I'll follow any plan."

Uma stroked his face with a grin. "And that's why you're my First Mate." She drew her hand back as they entered her territory. "Come on, we've got work to do. I see pillage and plunder in our future."

Harry grinned wickedly as he followed along.

** _..._ **

Doug had had enough. If Evie was cheating on him, he had a right to at least hear it from her and be broken up with properly. Marching to the girls' dorm, he knocked firmly (but still politely) on Evie's dorm door. He waited patiently. He had rehearsed everything, so he knew what he would say when she opened the door.

As the door opened, Doug felt a little at ease. It was Carlos who opened the door. Carlos was madly in love with Jane, so Doug knew he wasn't in there having a rendezvous with Evie.

"Hey, Carlos, I need to speak to Evie," Doug told him.

Carlos looked down and sighed. "Doug... you should probably come in."

"That... was what I had intended, yeah..." Doug didn't like the way Carlos had said that. Did he already know about whatever Evie was hiding? Of course he did. The four Isle kids had always been particularly close. Doug followed Carlos into the room and found Mal, Jay, Lonnie, and Ben there but no Evie.

Mal and Ben turned sad eyes to Doug and Mal sighed. She really didn't want to do this to the poor guy, but it was better to hear it from someone he trusted instead of when the rumors started. She wouldn't put it past Auradon to make up some rumor about Evie turning evil. No, she would set the record right. 

"Hey, Doug," Ben began quietly. "There's something... we need to tell you."

Oh no. Evie wasn't even breaking up with him directly. Had she run off with her new man? He... he would at least have wanted to wish her good luck, maybe hope she was happy with the guy. Doug's shoulders slumped and he waited.

"Evie was taken hostage, um, on the, uh, the Isle."

Doug blinked. That hadn't been what he'd been expecting. "Wait, she what?"

"Yesterday, Ben was held hostage on the Isle," Carlos explained. "So, um, we all went to rescue him. It was supposed to be the wand for Ben, but, uh, they changed their minds. They... they took Evie instead."

"That..." Doug didn't know what to feel. She was helping rescue Ben. She hadn't been cheating on him at all. Wait, no! That wasn't what mattered now! "She's still... over there?"

"Yeah," Jay rasped. He hated this. This stupid situation. He'd practically thrown his little sister to the wolves. He didn't know what Uma or Harry would do to Evie, but he _did_ know the damage her mother would do. All their hard work in Auradon, erased once Evie got back into that woman's clutches.

Doug looked between all the faces and asked, "Wha- But we're going to get her, right?"

Ben lowered his head. "With Cotilion tonight... there's no time."

"Then postpone it!" Doug exclaimed. "You're the king, aren't you?"

"That will cause rumors about Evie's disappearance to fly even faster-."

"But who cares about rumors when Evie's stuck on an island full of murderers and-and kidnappers? You know her mother tried to _poison_ a child, right? What's stopping her from doing that to Evie as revenge for leaving her there?" 

Doug knew he was working himself into a panic, but they couldn't just leave her there. The two of them hadn't gone in depth about her life on the Isle, but Doug knew that everything that frightened Evie stemmed solely from her mother. He saw Jay's fists tighten and Carlos' eyebrows furrow even further and was glad he wasn't the only one not okay with this.

"She won't," Mal sighed. "Evie helps her live out her delusional visions of being young. She'll keep her alive."

"Even though, by the time we get her back, she might as well be dead," Jay grumbled.

"We're trying to think of everyone's safety!" Mal snapped at him. "If we go back over-!"

"We don't know what will happen!" Jay growled. "And it wouldn't be happening in the _first place_ if you hadn't gone back. Whose _safety_ were you thinking about then?"

"I didn't _ask_ for you guys to follow me!" Mal's eyes were slowly turning green, but Jay didn't back down. A red tinge entered his own eyes. 

"You should have _expected_ us to! We're supposed to be your best friends, your family! You should have told us something was up!"

"I told Evie!" Mal shouted.

That silenced the whole room and Jay's shoulders slumped. Doug looked between the two of them, wondering why Jay had suddenly given up. "What's..."

"Mal told Evie," Carlos sighed. "And Evie sacrificed herself for Ben. Not a hard leap to realize she probably went along with Uma's demands to make up for... for not helping Mal sooner."

Silence hung in the air around them all. Mal looked down at the floor and Ben turned his eyes up to the ceiling. Jay sank onto the window seat heavily. Doug sank onto Evie's bed beside Carlos. None of them knew what to do to fix this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone knows, I'm literally flipping coins to determine the outcomes of certain events I have planned. If I can't decide how a scene should go, I just flip a coin and that determines how the scene goes. I flipped one for the first and second part of next chapter.


	4. Two Kinds of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uma and her crew rescue Evie and bring her to safety. Jay remembers Cotilion and talks things over with Carlos.

Evie sighed as she made her way through the castle. It had been three days since the showdown on Uma's ship. Evie had thought her life couldn't get any worse while she had been on the Isle before, but this was it. She had tasted freedom, found out what it was like to be her own person and live the way she wanted to, and all of that had been ripped away from her. She knew she should blame Mal or Ben or Uma or even herself, but she was just so tired and blame took energy she didn't have. 

The hunger pains had been bothering her since the first day, but she knew better than to mention how hungry she was. Her mother had yet to lay into her today, she didn't want to give her a reason to. No, instead, she focused on her memories of Auradon, of all of the things she had enjoyed. She avoided thinking about food, naturally, but the sunlight, the freshly cut grass, all the fabric her heart desired... If she thought hard enough, she could pretend she was back there.

Her heart ached for having fresh, clean fabric to make everyone clothes, to do Jane's makeup or help Lonnie pick out outfits. She wanted to model for Mal's sketches and go on runs with Jay again. She wanted to cuddle with Carlos and Dude while they watched movies. She wanted to help Ben implement his plans and maybe check in to see how Audrey was doing. She even missed Chad's ridiculously annoying simpering. She wanted to be in Auradon. Or even in the middle of the ocean. Anywhere would be better than being locked in this castle, her own personal circle of hell.

Shoulders slumping, Evie went about her chores. The clothes had already been hung up to dry earlier, so she just needed to take them down. Then it was washing the dishes, sweeping every room, dusting every piece of furniture and trinket, studying her chemistry, political science, economics...

Outside the castle, Uma and her crew were preparing for battle. "Now remember," she called, as they got into their disguises. "If you find anything of Blue's, you drop it off on the counter in the diner. If you think it might be hers, drop it off and she'll sort through it. Feel free to loot the rest as much as you want." She turned back to the castle, her jaw set. "They wanna raise us like villains, we're gonna treat'em like villains. No mercy!" 

A cheer lit the air and Uma raised her sword to the sky. The crew rushed forward, storming the castle. Some climbed through the windows while others just kicked the door in or crashed through the ceiling. They all spread out immediately, causing as much noise as they could to disorient the home's occupants. Shelves were knocked over, tables flipped, and walls banged on as the crew looted as they pleased.

Grimhilde screamed as ruffians invaded her sanctuary. They were knocking over her precious trinkets and artifacts! She grabbed up a broom for the first time since she taught Evie to sweep, and started brandishing it at the raiders. The degenerates only waggled their tongues at her, dodging the broom every time she swung it.

A select group had been ordered to keep the hag busy and wow did they. It wasn't like it was hard. The woman hated exercise of any kind and tended not to move faster than a stroll. This was pitifully easy, but the fun of it made up for that.

Evie paused as she was putting the clothes away. She could hear people ransacking the house, but they had yet to move in her direction. She waited calmly as the noise continued and a few slammed their way into her room. As soon as they did, they quieted and one leapt through her window. The rest raised their hands in silent surrender. 

"No worries, princess," one of them said quietly under the cloak of the others making noise. Evie vaguely recognized the voice as Gil's. "We're not here to hurt ya."

"You're... with Uma'a crew, right?" Evie asked. "Why are you...?"

"She'll explain it when we get back ta base," he said as the others fanned out and started bagging Evie's belongings.

Evie nodded, too tired to argue.

Uma watched her boys wage war on the house and smirked to herself. She'd trained'em well. One of her crew jumped through one of the windows and pointed through it. That was the cue. 

"Harry, the wig," Uma said. Harry instantly handed the purple wig over to Uma, putting on his own and the cap to go with it. 

Uma secured her wig and leapt back through the window her boy had pointed to. Evie's eyes widened at seeing Uma decked all in purple and wearing a wig. Harry hopped through right after her and Evie raised an eyebrow at seeing him in an outfit that could be easily mistaken for one of Jay's. 

"Come on, Princess," Uma ordered. "This is a jailbreak." 

Evie heeded Gil's words from earlier and nodded. Harry pulled some rope from his pocket and began securing it around her arms. He didn't make it too tight, but he had to make it look convincing. One of the other crewmembers slipped a cloth around Evie's mouth. Once she was presentable, Uma pulled a mask over the bottom of her own face and easily lifted Evie over her shoulders. 

_Not good_, she thought as she took off through the house. _She's already lost a lot of weight_.

All of the crewmen started bailing out when they got the signal that the Princess was in their possession. The boys distracting the hag leapt through the windows and took off, high fiving. 

Grimhilde rushed from the room just in time to see a purple head race by. She gaped at the sight of Evie unconscious over the kidnapper's shoulders. A familiar flash of red followed after the perpetrator and Grimhilde screamed in fury. That despicable little fairy! She'd planned this whole thing! She hadn't seen Cruella's boy, but he was probably too terrified to set foot here again. She sank into a chair, frustration written onto every contour of her face. She had lost Evie _again_.

Evie thought Uma would let her down once they were out of sight of the castle, but she carried Evie the whole way back to her territory. It was strange. Despite looking like a damsel in distress in every aspect, Evie felt so much like she was being rescued. Arriving at Ursula's diner, Uma finally set Evie on her feet in the main area and Harry untied her. 

"You're safe now, Princess," Uma told her as Evie removed the cloth on her mouth. 

"Why?" Evie asked hoarsely. "Why did you rescue me? We've never even met before the showdown..."

"I told you then, didn't I?" Uma snorted. "I've got nothing against you, Princess. I'm not gonna let that witch keep treatin' you like that. That thing we just pulled? That's technically a warning. A good number of my boys were getting mistreated by their parents. So we sent those parents a message. Harry."

Harry snickered as he brandished his hook in a grand gesture. "Boys! What happens to parents who raise us like villains?"

"We treat them like villains!" the restaurant cheered. "No mercy!"

Evie stared around in wonder. She'd assumed Uma would lead primarily through fear and reputation like Mal, but... these people were loyal to her without even needing that. She had no doubts Uma used fear as a tactic, too. It was useful to be feared on the Isle, but she _earned_ these boys' loyalty. Mal hadn't often had the opportunity to earn loyalty, being raised by Maleficent. 

"You're... like a family," Evie whispered, the word making her chest ache. She and Mal and Jay and Carlos had been like a family, too...

"Got that right." Uma leaned back against the counter, tossing the wig off to the side. "Welcome to the Pirate Side, Blue."

** _..._ **

Jay stared at the ceiling. It had been a few days since Cotilion and... well, it wasn't a complete disaster. He closed his eyes, still seeing the scene play out in his mind.

_Ben stepped out onto the landing, everyone clapping and gasping in awe. On the deck, Mal, Jay, Doug, Carlos, Lonnie, and Jane watched him with smiles on their faces. Even despite their worry for their missing member, they couldn't help being proud, seeing Ben standing before his people. All eyes were on him, thankfully._

_As he descended the stairs, Ben caught his friends' gazes and waved to them. Once he reached the bottom, Ben made a beeline for Mal. He gave her a small bow and smile. _

_"Hey," he said softly. "Are you sure you're okay to be here?"_

_"Even if I'm not on your arm," Mal told him. "I would still never miss this for the world." She looked down at her dress. "It would be rude to waste all of her hard work."_

_Ben nodded. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think she designed every outfit here."_

_"She did," Doug coughed. "Including your parents', Lumiere's, and even the trumpet troupe's."_

_Ben's jaw dropped and he glanced over to the trumpeters in astonishment. "How did she even manage?" he breathed._

_"Evie puts herself into everything she does," Carlos shrugged, his fingers entwined with Jane's. "Fashion especially."_

_Only their closest friends knew of what had happened with Evie, alongside the Royal Court. When Jay and Carlos had delivered the dresses earlier, they just spun a tale of Evie needing to put some last touches on other outfits, so they offered to help. That got most of Auradon Prep off their backs about her absence. Still, their group was getting odd looks. Evie might as well have been a second guest of honor, but she wasn't here to admire her own handiwork._

_Now that Ben's arrival had happened, most everyone was mingling together. Parties were common in Auradon, even ones as big as Cotillion, so it was always a relaxed affair dressed up as a formal engagement. Most of the conversation seemed to be revolving around what everyone was wearing, even though they all knew the designer. Compliments about Evie's handiwork were flying and it was all Jay, Carlos, and Mal could do to keep the smiles on their face._

_"Hey, Mal," one of the princesses called. "Where's Evie? We want to thank her again for such an amazing job on our dresses."_

_"Yeah," another agreed. "Is she coming later? Strange for her to be late to anything."_

_"Uh..." Mal looked to Jay and Carlos for help. Both shrugged at a loss for what to say. "She... actually isn't fond of boats." Mal finally answered. "Since, you know, none of us can swim. She got too nervous to come."_

_"Oh that's too bad," they murmured. "We'll be sure to drop by your room to tell her all about it!"_

_Mal gave them a tight smile as they moved on. She let out a soft sigh. "Alright, the boat story will work for now," she muttered. _

_"What are we gonna do when she doesn't show up to classes?" Carlos hissed. "Or starts getting orders and doesn't respond?"_

_"We'll make up other excuses," Mal huffed. "We'll just keep putting things off until we figure out how to get her back without Uma's crew skewering us."_

_"Hey, Mal," someone called. "Where's Evie at? These suits are top notch!"_

_"She's not coming," Mal replied. "Not a fan of boats."_

_"Crud. Sucks she's gotta miss this awesome party. Tell her thanks for us!"_

_Mal took a deep breath. She could do this. "All we need to do is deflect," she told her friends. _

_"Yo, Jay!" One of the fencers strolled over. "Where's Evie? Gotta thank her again for the hook up."_

_"She, uh, she's not coming. Boats make her queasy, ya know. But I'll let her know, dude." Jay waved to his teammate before looking back to his friends. "I think we can do this."_

_Just then, some students strolled up. "Hey, Doug, did you and Evie break up? I would have expected her to be on your arm tonight."_

_Doug gave a strained smile. "Evie isn't fond of boats. They make her anxious. Too much stress after making everyone's clothes, you know? She decided to rest."_

_"Oh, good. You two are really cute together, you know."_

_"Gotta let me know how you caught a hottie like her, dude," one of his classmates snickered. _

_Doug glanced to his friends. "Oh, you know. She came over, got duped by Chad, and, uh, opened her eyes, I guess?"_

_They all shrugged and bid him a good night as they continued on with their festivities. Doug took a deep breath. "I can't do this," he told the others. "Knowing where she is, awkwardly lying to people, this is so painful."_

_"Look, we've got this," Carlos told him. "We've got this. It's just for one night."_

_"And every day after," Doug hissed. "People are bound to start asking me. I'm supposed to be her boyfriend, remember?"_

_They all shifted uncomfortably as more people looked ready to come over. "Mal, what are we going to do?" Carlos groaned. "We don't even know when we'll be able to go back."_

_"Well, we need to reconvene and-."_

_"Mal, have you seen Evie?" someone called. _

_"She's not-."_

_"Hey, Jay," one of the tourney players shouted._

_"Dude, I'm kinda in the middle-."_

_"Jane, amazing job with planning!" one of the princesses said as she passed. _

_None of them could breathe. Mal could feel the suffocating pressure again. And this time, there wasn't a moment to breathe. Growling slowly filled the air, Mal's eyes shining a bright green. A cloud of smoke surrounded her and suddenly, a monstrous dragon lifted off the deck._

_She kept telling them she couldn't handle being suffocated. What was with Auradonians and their incessant need to always be as close as possible? After the last few days, Mal just wanted everyone to leave her alone. She'd just left her best friend behind. Did she not warrant a day or two to mourn?!_

_The guests watched Mal fearfully, gasps and shouts rising in the air. Mal lifted up and landed on the uppermost part of the ship, glaring down at the crowd. No one dared to move for fear of getting a burst of flame to the face. _

_"Mal!" Ben shouted up at her. "Mal, wait!"_

_Mal gave a small roar and lowered her head to eye level with Ben. "I know it's been a tough few days?" Ben told her, holding a hand out soothingly. "I know everything feels like it's dropping on your shoulders. It's not. We're here for you."_

_Mal lifted her head and gave a sad groan in the direction of the Isle. "I know, Mal," Ben said. "I know it hurts and you feel guilty. But please, you have to calm down."_

_"Evie wouldn't want you to go crazy just because of her," Jay added, walking forward. "We'll get her back, okay? We'll figure something out."_

_Murmurs filled the air, but Mal's friends only had eyes for her. They needed to reassure her that they were there for her. She wasn't alone._

_Slowly, Mal took deep breaths and returned to herself, sliding back down. Lumiere caught her easily and gently set her on her feet. Mal dipped her head to him in thanks before turning to Ben. She made her way down the stairs and stopped in front of him. _

_"I just... she was supposed to be here," Mal sniffed. "She was supposed to be here, admiring her outfits and enjoying the party and she's not..."_

_Ben lifted her hands. "We'll get her back, alright? And then she'll be able to hear all the praise about her outfits, okay?"_

_"Yeah, okay," Mal agreed, nodding. _

_"So, wait," someone piped up hesitantly. "Does that mean... something's happened to Evie?"_

_Ben cleared his throat. "Ah, unfortunately, Evie has been, um, taken back to the Isle." Gasps rang out once more. "Not because she's a villain. Just because... certain circumstances forced her back for an indeterminate amount of time." He squeezed Mal's hand. "But we're looking into a solution to bring her back." Mal smiled at him. "It's nothing to worry about. She would consider it a waste if you all didn't enjoy the party in your custom clothes."_

_Slowly, the party returned to full swing. Murmurs about Evie still lit the air, but no one seemed to be thinking anything too outrageous just yet, so the group relaxed. "Okay," Carlos said. "Or Mal could turn into a dragon and out it to the world."_

_"They were bound to find out eventually," Mal grumbled. "I'm just glad we don't have to lie. But we are still deflecting. No one needs to know the intricacies of how she got stuck."_

_"Yeah, that's the last thing we need," Jay snorted. "Snow would have our heads for it."_

_Mal and Ben sighed, but before anything else could be said, Beau and Belle strode forward. The group was forced to disperse and, as Mal ordered, deflect. None of them knew how long they would have to, but they didn't need to tell all of Auradon, that's for sure._

It had been strained for the rest of the night. Doug ended up heading below deck because the pressure was getting to him. Mal and Ben covertly told Ben's parents that their relationship was, at the very least, at a momentary standstill. The whole group was just thankful when the night finally ended. 

Ever since, they've been deflecting questions and Jay just wanted to get Evie back. Every day she was on that island was another day her mother would crush whatever spirit she had. The woman wouldn't rest until Evie was as heartless and twisted as she was and Jay couldn't take that. Evie had always been nice, as long as he'd known her. She was like a little sister to him. He just wanted to protect her and he couldn't really do that with her all the way over on the Isle.

The door opened and Carlos strode in, tossing his bag to the side. He flopped back on his bed and waved to Jay. "Hey."

"Hey," Jay sighed. "Still no news?"

"They've been discussing it," Carlos shrugged. "Between trying to rekindle their relationship."

Jay snorted. "Great. Evie's over there being emotionally beaten into the ground and they're working on making kissy faces at one another. We're right back where we started."

"Further back, actually," Carlos corrected. "Instead of four, there's only three."

Jay threw his hands in the air before falling backwards on his bed. Carlos stood and climbed over into his bed. Jay threw an arm around him and grumbled, "Do you think she'd be more worried if it was one of us?"

"Doubt it," Carlos huffed. "She and Evie were super close. There's just... a lot happening and she... doesn't have a big enough attention span." They shared a small laugh and Jay tightened his arm around Carlos.

"We'll make things right," he said softly, stroking Carlos' hair. "We'll get Evie and all those kids off that stupid island."

Carlos nodded and burrowed into Jay's side. "I just hate to think how long it'll be until then."

Jay didn't respond and they lapsed into silence. Back on the Isle, they'd always curl up together like this. Whenever Carlos was scared of his mom coming after him again, he'd stay with Jay or Evie. Now, Evie was alone with no one to protect her, nowhere to run. If Carlos wished hard enough, maybe he'd be able to send positive energy to her, give her strength through hope. 

Jay just wanted all their family to be together again.


	5. Returning to Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uma gets Evie accustomed to working in the diner. Carlos, Jane, Jay, and Lonnie spend some time together and talk about the upcoming summer.

Evie breathed out in relief as she finished putting all of her things away. She'd been given a room in the back of Ursula's diner, since the building doubled as a business and a home. The sky was beginning to lighten and she grinned. She'd finished everything before everyone woke up.

Speaking of...

"What in Tartarus?" a voice shouted from the front. 

Evie stood and made her way out into the main area. She found Uma staring at the diner. Ursula peeked out from where she was already getting the kitchen ready. The pair of them stared around at the room in shock. Everything had been organized and moved around. It looked mostly the same, but it was still a little unsettling.

"Who messed with our stuff?" Uma demanded.

"I cleaned last night," Evie piped up. Did they not like it? Had she done it wrong? "I-I reorganized the tables to make it easier to move between them, I..." She bit her lip. "Do you not like it?"

"Nah, it's fine," Uma told her with a shrug. "Just took me by surprise." She raised an eyebrow when Blue seemed to relax at her words. It was just a little redecorating, nothing to get so tense about. 

Ursula gave a soft chuckle. "How are you liking your room, Evie darling?"

Uma wrinkled her nose. She'd never heard her mother say 'darling' until she brought Evie in yesterday. It was weird, to say the least. But one look at Blue and her mom just turned into a different person. 

"It's fine, Aunt Ursula," Evie responded with a smile. "I'm glad it's so compact. After staying in Auradon so long, it's actually refreshing to be in a room where I can see everything." 

"Probably better that way, too," Uma agreed. "With this being the Isle and all. Probably not much stealing in Auradon."

"No need to steal when you have everything," Evie said nonchalantly. Uma detected just the smallest hint of bitterness in her voice and smirked. Blue still had some Isle in her, it seemed.

"Did you clean the kitchen, too?" Uma asked, walking closer. 

Evie turned to her and balked at the proximity. "Uh, yeah, is it okay?" Had she missed a spot? Did she organize everything incorrectly? Evie unconsciously wrung her hands together, trying to keep her breathing even. The ghost of a hand clenching on her wrist made her flinch a little. What had she done wrong? Can she fix it?

"Blue?" Uma asked in confusion. Evie seemed to look right through her, but still also seemed to be listening for something. "Blue, the kitchen is fine." She got no response. What the Tartarus was going on?

"Evie, the kitchen is adequate," Ursula called quickly, watching Evie carefully.

At the word 'adequate', Evie's muscles instantly relaxed and she took a deep breath. "Great!" she chirped, though she still looked pale. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Head out to turn the sign to 'open' for us?" Ursula instructed. Evie nodded and made her way out the door.

Once she was gone, Uma strode over to her mother and hissed, "What was that?" 

"Her mother was obsessed with perfection," Ursula told her, turning the stoves up. "If anything is less than adequate or satisfactory, it wasn't good enough and needed to be redone."

"Yeah, but Blue had a whole episode," Uma pointed out. Ursula put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Uma looked down and blinked. "Oh. Blue was punished." She shouldn't be surprised. They were raised by villains after all. But what kind of punishment could make _Blue_ scared? No makeup for a week or something?

"She's a queen, Uma," Ursula said with a roll of her eyes. "To be less than what she deems acceptable must be penalized, even if you are her daughter." Ursula paused and amended, "_Especially_ if you're her daughter. And people thought Triton was hard on Ariel, hah!"

Uma glanced to the entrance where she could see a mass of blue just off to the side of the doorway. So Blue was afraid of Uma not liking her cleaning? Seemed weird, but at least Uma knew how to curb anymore episodes in the future. Didn't need that on top of keeping the Isle running. 

"Get to work," Ursula ordered. "The early risers are gonna be in soon. Can't keep the filth waiting or they'll ransack the place."

"Like that matters," Uma snorted. "You've got eight tentacles. You'll just end up throwing them out the door."

"Correct as that may be, I don't feel like expending the effort." A tentacle reached out to shove Uma toward the counter. "So get to it. You've got an employee to train."

Uma rolled her eyes and headed toward the outside. She found Blue leaning against the wall looking up at the clouds above. She looked calmer than before, so now was as good a time as any. 

"Alright, Blue, time to get to work." 

Evie perked up. "At your service."

Uma wrinkled her nose. "Don't say that. Harry says that. You don't."

"Right." Evie brushed her hair back as Uma led her back inside. 

"Job is simple," Uma explained. "You take the customer's order, give it to mom, and when she calls the table number, you take it to the right person."

Evie looked over to find a large number etched into each table and she nodded. Those must have been what she felt while cleaning last night. "Alright. So just take and deliver orders?"

"Pretty much." Uma leaned against the counter. "And, uh, I know you were in Auradon for a while, but if somebody gets rough with ya, bein' nice ain't gonna cut it here."

Evie smirked and Uma saw something dark flash across her features, so fast she might have just imagined it. "Yeah, got it." A few customers started filing in and she glanced over. "I guess we start now."

"Bingo." Uma headed to the counter. "They come to me to pay first, then you show'em to a table and take their order."

Evie waited off to the side of the cash register as the customers lined up in front of Uma. It made sense they would go to her to pay first. Everything here cost the same, so there wasn't any fluctuation, like in Auradon. Evie stepped up to each person once they paid and led them to a seat. She didn't use the notepad she saw Uma using, committing it to memory instead. Once everyone was seated, she moved back to the notepad and wrote each order down before handing the pad off to Aunt Ursula.

Uma watched her carefully. She knew Blue was an Isle girl, but if she'd learned anything from the showdown, it was that Auradon made you soft. She didn't want any of the customers taking advantage of Blue's kindhearted nature.

Some of her crew strode in to help out as well. There wasn't much incident apart from the usual rude customers being their usual selves. Just another dreary, dragging day on the Isle from Uma's point of view.

"Hey!" A snarl caught her attention and she sighed. _Just had to tempt the universe._

Uma turned to find one of the minions growling up at Blue. Blue's back was to her, so Uma couldn't see her reaction. She slowly stood from behind the counter, ready to step in if Blue needed help.

"I asked for a seaweed sandwich!" he spat up at her.

"No, you didn't," Evie said calmly, unfazed by his anger. "You asked for the crab cake fillet. That's what I gave you."

The goon started to stand, slamming a hand on the table. "Don't talk down to me, girl! You didn't write down anything until ya handed off to the octopus! Someone else coulda ordered it, so gimme my-!"

He raised his hand to hit her, but Blue caught it and Uma raised an eyebrow. From her vantage point, all she saw was the moron's eyes widen fearfully. What the Tartarus?

Evie glared down at the minion. Her back straightened and she looked down her nose at him, just as her mother taught her to. No ruler was complete without a way to express their discontent. Her eyes bore into his as she said, in a carefully calm voice, "My memory is never wrong. Are you questioning it?"

"N-no, Your Majesty," the goon whimpered.

"Good. What did you order?"

"The... the crab cake fillet with fruit water," the goon mumbled, lowering his head. 

Evie nodded and flicked his hand away in a disgusted gesture. "Then eat. You're disturbing everyone else."

As the minion went back to his food, Evie turned with her usual smile in place as she headed to the kitchen. Uma stared as she retrieved the other meals. The other customers, having been able to watch the whole thing, were careful not to make eye contact and politely thanked her for the food. Uma blinked and glanced to the kitchen. Her mother just went about cooking as if that didn't just happen.

Uma leaned close to Gil and Harry as they watched Evie go about her work. "We'll need to keep an eye on her," she said. "Whatever she did, it was too subtle to pick up on, different than the rest of Mal's crew."

"Yeah, I didn't notice a thing," Gil agreed with a curious grin on his face. "One second he was yellin', the next, he's whimpering like a baby."

Harry nodded and eyed Sapphire. "This trade just got a lot more interesting," he chuckled, scratching his hook along the counter's surface. 

** _..._ **

Jay sighed as he tossed his bag off to the side of his room. Lonnie and Jane followed him in. Carlos glanced up at them from his laptop and smiled. "Hey," he called. 

"Hey," Lonnie responded with a smile. "Still studying for your cybersecurity entrance exam?"

"Yup." Carlos smiled and leaned up to peck Jane's cheek as she settled beside him. "With any luck, I can start taking online courses next school year."

Jane eyed him curiously. "Are you sure you'll be alright with all that on top of senior year?"

Jay laughed and plopped down on Carlos' other side while Lonnie sat beside Jane. "He'll be just fine," Jay chuckled. "You should've seen this guy on the Isle. Had to clean, cook, take care of the fur, and steal whatever he needed, and still found time to invent things over there."

Carlos couldn't help the proud grin that spread over his cheeks. "It wasn't _that _bad," he said bashfully. "Whenever I had free time, I'd just work on stuff. Here, I don't need to cook or clean or any of that stuff, so I'll be just fine."

Jane looked at him closely. There were bags under his eyes and she bit her lip. "Will you... be back on a regular sleeping schedule by then?"

Carlos stiffened and Jay and Lonnie both turned to him. "I'll be fine," he mumbled. "I'm just, ya know..."

Jay threw an arm around Carlos' shoulders and Jane gently gripped his hand. "Hey," Jay told him quietly. "We're all worried about her. It's okay."

Lonnie leaned back on the bed. "We'll get her back, Carlos," she said determinedly. "We'll get her back no problem."

Carlos squeezed Jane's hand and leaned back against Jay. "So, any plans for the summer?" he asked the girls, trying to change the subject. 

Lonnie perked up. "I'm heading home to train with Mom and Dad," she said excitedly. "They're gonna put me through the training they had to do in the army."

"Sounds like a nightmare," Jay chuckled. 

"Not that much," Lonnie huffed, sticking her tongue out at him. "I've been training since I was four, this'll be nothing. A bit more intense, sure, but still nothing."

Jay only smirked at her and Jane giggled. "Well, I've got some duties with Mom. She's finally going to start teaching me how to use my magic. Mostly minor spells, obviously, but I'll finally get to learn about my heritage instead of just _being _the daughter of Fairy Godmother."

Carlos eyed her with a grin. "You'll have to show us some tricks when next school year starts!"

"Yeah," Lonnie snickered. "Maybe you'll know how to make a spell last longer than midnight."

All of them laughed at that, sharing jokes about Cinderella at the headmistress' expense. Jane shook her head as she laughed along with them. 

"I don't think she'll let me transform anything bigger than a spoon, if that, but it'll be nice. It always feels like there's some energy bubbling inside me. I wonder if that's how Mal feels, too."

"Could be a fairy thing," Carlos shrugged. "Your connection to your magic is deeper than sorcerers or witches, I imagine."

"What about you two?" Lonnie asked them. "Any plans?"

Jay hummed, his arm tightening around Carlos. Jane watched curiously, but said nothing. "Well, because we don't have places of our own or guardians here in Auradon, some of the Royal Court offered to take us in. Queen Jasmine seemed particularly eager, her and Queen Tiana."

"But we don't wanna impose on them," Carlos said softly. "I mean, it's nice of them, but..."

"Hey," Jane said softly, giving his hand an encouraging squeeze. "You've still got a month to decide, alright? And if they're offering, it means they actually want to try. They wouldn't have offered if they didn't."

The boys slowly nodded. They still didn't know how to feel about having anyone offering to take care of them. They had only ever known their own parents, so how did hero parents even act? What did they expect? Did they yell and beat you? Did they make you clean the whole house and steal other people's stuff to resell? They didn't know how to act or what to do with any kind of Auradon guardians and not knowing was scary.

Lonnie stood and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna head out. Got a bunch of homework to get done."

"Yeah, same," Jane agreed. She shot the boys a smile. "We'll catch ya later."

Carlos grinned up at her and waved as they left. Jay brought his other arm around Carlos in a quick hug before letting go. "Good luck with your studying, bro," Jay told him. "You got this."

Carlos nodded to him and went back to his work. He thought over what they all had said, but he couldn't brush off the worry. No matter how many times they told themselves and each other that they would get Evie back, that they would rescue the kids from the Isle, that everything would work out, he couldn't believe it and he knew Jay couldn't either. Ben and Mal were the only ones capable of setting them free and... well, that didn't give any of them much hope this would be solved any time soon.

Still, he had to believe everything would be okay. He would just focus on helping... piece Evie back together when they finally got her back. Until then, she wouldn't want him worrying too hard about her. He took a deep breath and focused on his work. That cybersecurity entrance exam wasn't gonna study for itself. 

Jay watched Carlos and smiled. They could get through this. Worrying solved nothing. He pulled his own work from his backpack and started in on it. He needed to figure out which college to head to as well. When Evie came home, they could focus on her as much as she needed, but she'd also hate for them to miss out on things that could make them happy because they were worrying about her. Until she was safe on Auradon soil again, Jay would keep Carlos from worrying too much. How hard could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually couldn't figure out if I wanted the second part of the chapter to be its own bit or to keep it attached. Ultimately decided to keep it.


	6. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie and Carlos are having nightmares. Uma (reluctantly) and Jay step up to help however they can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mal, Ben, Doug, and Snow don't make an appearance in this chapter either, but don't worry, I've got plans for them. In the meantime, enjoy!
> 
> Also, Harry never learned how to count.

_Evie stared around in fear. Everything was dark. Dark and cold. Shapes could be seen hovering in the darkness, looming over her. Everything was eerily silent._

_Slowly, Evie stepped through the darkness, but something grabbed at her, ripping her sleeve as she pulled away. Something else snatched at her leg and more... claws reached out, grasping at her, ripping her clothing as she hurried in a random direction, one that would hopefully take her away from the imposing shapes. _

_She slammed into something soft yet firm and bounced off. The claws still reached for her. She noticed that they were... painted red. And they looked more like long fingernails than animal claws. Looking up at what had stopped her, Evie found her mother staring down at her, that neutral look that always conveyed disappointment plastered all over her heavily makeuped face. Evie cowered before that look, she hated it, loathed it, feared it. _

_"You defied me." Her mother's voice came from all around her, deafening in the silence of the dark. "You must be punished."_

_"No!" Evie shouted as one of the grasping claws-- _ **_hands_ ** _\--grabbed her wrist, tugging her backward. More grabbed onto her, gripping her arms and legs and hair, arms wrapping around her torso to drag her back. _

_Evie stared back as a spotlight flicked on in front of an enormous, gaping doorway. Nothing but inky blackness glared out at her, and the claws were taking her right to that darkness. Tears spilled over Evie's cheeks and the hand on her wrist only gripped her tighter, bruisingly tight, as she was taken into the dark. _

_The door shut and there was nothing but cold, dark loneliness_.

Evie jerked awake and she stood from where she had fallen asleep at the counter. She looked to the door and found the sun just getting ready to peek over the Auradon horizon. It was only just dawn. Good. No one was awake to see her nod off.

Standing, she stood and rubbed her face tiredly. Another night with very little sleep. It had been five or so days since she had come to the diner and the sleep hadn't been... easy. Nightmares assaulted her every night and she couldn't really get rid of them the way she had in Auradon.

Yawning, Evie started cleaning up and getting the main area ready to open. She could hear Aunt Ursula emerging from the water in the kitchen to begin cooking, and the sounds of Uma waking up from her room. 

Footsteps sounded in the hall and Evie looked over in confusion. Harry stepped out into the main area, clad only in a pair of pants, hook still cradled in his hands. He leaned against the counter and gave her a grin. Evie blinked at him groggily before going back to her work.

Harry frowned. Strange. Usually whenever he came out of Uma's room in the morning, the pretty Sapphire would engage him in some harmless flirting, especially if he was shirtless. Why wasn't the lovely lass doing the same as usual? 

He watched her movements for a while, trying to figure her out. He noticed how slowly she moved about the room and his eyes narrowed. Interesting. "Hey, Sapphire," he called sneakily. "Ya missed a spot."

Evie continued what she was doing and Harry counted seconds. At seventeen (what was actually twenty four), she straightened and moved over to him. Her gait was slower than it had been two days ago. Delayed reaction and sluggish movements. Yup, something was definitely up. 

Uma groaned, cracking her neck as she strode out to the main area. She yawned as she walked up beside Harry. She looked from him to Blue and back. Harry's eyes were focused intently on Blue while she was cleaning and Uma wondered what insanity he was playing at this time.

"Yo, Blue," Uma called, strolling over to the register. "Did you change the sign to open?"

Harry watched Sapphire carefully and counted again. Her reaction time was only slightly faster this time. He made it to thirteen (eighteen) before she glanced to Uma. 

"No, I wanted to clean a bit first," she responded in a slightly rasping tone. "I'll go do it now that you're up."

Uma nodded and sat behind the register, stretching her arms and getting ready to greet the rabble.

Customers strode in and paid. The diner seemed fine for the day. After her display the first day, most of the regulars knew to stay on Evie's good side. It definitely made less work for Uma and the crewmembers who arrived to help. Everything moved along smoothly.

Almost smoothly.

As the day drew on, Uma kept an eye on Blue, like usual. She just wanted to be sure none of the customers tried lashing out at the Princess in a more physical sense. She started noticing, just as Harry had, the low reaction times and slower movements. Something was definitely up with Blue. If Uma looked closely enough, she could see dark circles forming under Blue's eyes. She didn't put on heavy makeup like she had at her mom's place, so they were just visible. Not good. They'd need to do something soon.

As evening descended upon them, Evie only got worse. Her body screamed out for rest, for sleep, but she wasn't going to indulge. She refused to succumb to the nightmares again. Even so, she couldn't stop the way her body was reacting. She barely made it two steps without bumping into something. It wasn't affecting the food, but she was getting odd looks from everyone. 

Evie bumped into a table for the fifth time in less than twenty minutes and Uma finally sighed. Time to intervene. "Yo, Blue," she called, grabbing her attention. "I need ya in the back a sec."

Evie sluggishly headed toward the back area, trying not to bump into anything else. Uma motioned to Harry to watch everything up front. He'd close up if she wasn't back in enough time to do it herself. She headed into the back to find Blue leaning against the wall. She only stared blankly at the wall opposite her, no expression on her face.

"Blue," Uma huffed. Evie's head slowly creaked around to gaze at her. "What's the deal? Why aren't ya sleepin'?"

Evie blinked at Uma. Her eyelids felt so heavy. She forced them back open. She looked at Uma. _It's nothing. I'm only a little tired. I'll be fine_.

She waited for what felt like a few seconds. Something snapped in front of her face and she jolted up. "Yes?" she asked hoarsely.

"I asked why you weren't sleeping," Uma growled impatiently. 

Evie's eyebrows pulled together. "I just told you."

"No. You didn't say anything. You just stared at me for a while and then started drifting off." Uma didn't want to admit it, but she was actually a little worried. Sleep was important on the Isle. It kept you alert and prepared for attack. 

"Oh." Evie blinked again. "It's nothing. I'm only a little tired. I'll be fine."

Uma sighed. "Then go to bed."

Evie didn't move. She focused on making herself look relaxed as she said, "I could still be helpful out in front."

"No, you can't. Now go sleep." Uma glared at Blue irritably and noticed her muscles starting to tense. Okay, what now?

"Or I could clean the back area," Evie tried. Her hands inched closer together nervously. 

"Blue, if I gotta tell you _one more time_, " Uma growled. "Go. Sleep. What are you so afraid of?"

There was silence for a long moment between them. This was the Isle. People didn't admit fear or weakness here. Uma figured Blue was just a workaholic, but that didn't mean she didn't need sleep. Uma wasn't losing her to exhaustion. She was the only bargaining chip they had for getting off this island.

"The island."

It was so soft, almost like a breeze. Uma stared up at Blue in confusion. Evie wrung her hands together, slower than usual like everything else today. She knew she shouldn't say anything, but she couldn't really tell Mal and the others. Uma was the only person she could talk to in this place.

"You're...afraid of... the island?" Uma asked slowly.

Evie took a deep breath. "I've always been afraid of this place. I was locked up in Mom's castle so much, coming out always... made me nervous. When I went to Auradon, I had nightmares. About being forced back in the castle, about starving, about being attacked, just... about growing up here."

She ran a hand through her hair and released a heavy breath. "Mal and I figured out a solution that worked for a while and helped me be able to sleep. But I can't... really do that here."

Uma stared at Blue speculatively. She knew Blue knew that admitting such a weakness was a gamble. She knew the Princess was smart, but she was also probably missing her little crew. Sighing, Uma dropped her head. _I cannot **believe** I'm about to do this._

"What was the solution you and Mal came up with?" she mumbled.

"Pardon?" Evie asked.

"How did you and Mal get rid of the nightmares?" Uma clarified, dreading the answer.

Evie turned her head to face the wall. She didn't even have the energy to look embarrassed as she explained, "She held me for a few nights."

Uma almost regretted rescuing Blue from that castle. Almost. Gritting her teeth, she growled out, "Alright, fine."

Evie blinked at her, her breathing deepening by the second. "What?"

"I'm gonna... do the thing," Uma grunted, making her way toward Evie's room. "I can't have you keeling over and making more trouble for me. So... let's just get this over with."

Evie blinked at her again, still not quite understanding, but following after. They entered her room and Uma removed her shirt. She fell back on the hard lumpy bed and glared up at the ceiling. Evie changed into her nightgown and slipped onto the bed as well. 

Hesitantly, Evie curled close to Uma. Her body tensed again at the unfamiliarity. While Mal wasn't weak by any means, Uma was nothing but hard-packed muscle. She also smelled different. Mal smelled like fire, spray paint, and, in Auradon, she smelled like strawberries. Uma smelled like the ocean, like seagulls and crabs and fish, like boats and rope.

Even with all the differences, though, when Uma's arms stiffly wrapped around her, Evie felt safe and protected. Her body was too tired to care how different Uma was from Mal. Within seconds, she had drifted into sleep, not a single nightmare in the darkness.

Uma glared over Blue's head and gritted her teeth. She could not believe she had been roped into this. She never cuddled with anyone... anyone but Harry. Of course she did with him, he was her First Mate, the only person deserving of the honor. But they couldn't afford to lose the Princess. Mal would never let them over if she thought they'd done something to her 'best friend'.

And... well, holding Blue like this wasn't... _all_ bad. She was soft, softer than anyone else. Blue had muscle, not as much as Harry and herself, but it was still there, just not as pronounced as the rest of them. She smelled nice, too, like fruits and flowers and clothes. She had the scent of the ocean clinging to her since her arrival, but she smelled like nothing Uma had ever experienced. With every breath that broke against her neck, Uma decided that... _maybe_ this wouldn't be too bad.

** _..._ **

_Carlos strode through the forest cautiously. Everything was dark and foggy, twisting the shapes of the trees into gruesome monsters, towering over him angrily. Small sobs echoed all around him, seeming to come from every direction. _

_"Carlos," someone sniffed brokenly. Carlos recognized the voice and his heart pounded. He took off in the direction the voice had come from._

_The fog started to clear and Carlos found himself in a room, an all too familiar room. This was his mother's house. He trembled as he stared around for the owner of the voice. A flash of blue caught his attention off to the side and he spun. _

_Evie sobbed in a heap on the floor. Bruises littered her arms, some of them resembling belt marks and handprints. Carlos stared at her in horror and he hurried over. _

_"Evie!" he gasped. "What happened? What's going on? Why are you here?"_

_Footsteps echoed off to the side and Evie cringed, fighting to make herself as small as possible. Carlos glanced over and spotted three looming and hauntingly familiar silhouettes in the doorway. Out of the shadows stepped The Evil Queen, with Jafar and... his mother._

_A belt slashed through the air from behind Jafar, striking Evie's back. She cried out and sunk further against the floor in terror. "You're supposed to be a substitute for them," Jafar snarled. "Isn't that why they left you here?"_

_"I thought you were supposed to be good at cleaning," Cruella shrieked. "Why do my furs still have dirt on them!"_

_A cut opened on Evie's cheek and she whimpered helplessly. Carlos knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "I've got you," he whispered. _

_A clawed hand reached forward and dragged Evie toward the imposing figures. Carlos reached for her desperately as the Evil Queen gripped Evie by the wrist. "I raised you better than this," she hissed angrily. "Perhaps some more time in the closet will teach you."_

_Carlos could only watch helplessly as Evie was dragged, sobbing, into the darkness._

Carlos shot up in bed, staring around frantically. His heart pounded in his ears and his breath heaved. Nothing changed around him. Just darkness with the moonlight shining through the windows. No sign of his mother or Jafar or the Evil Queen... or Evie.

Carlos dropped his chin to his chest and ran a hand through his hair. Another nightmare. No news, no plans, just... another nightmare. 

Movement off to the side made Carlos flinch, but he recognized the shape in the darkness as Jay. He relaxed and watched Jay move closer, hands held up in a peaceful gesture.

"Hey," Jay sighed.

"Hey," Carlos mumbled.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes before Jay ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know it's hard," he said quietly. "And... I know it feels like we don't care. But there isn't anything we can do."

"And the people who _can _do something _aren't_," Carlos shot back bitterly. "I hate this, Jay. I hate feeling powerless. Wasn't that the whole point of bringing us? It's been _two weeks_, and they aren't doing _anything._"

Jay sat next to Carlos and wrapped an arm around him. "I know," he said. "I _know _it's frustrating and aggravating and it makes you wanna punch something. But we also _can't_ let the worry consume us-."

"Why not?" Carlos demanded, his voice cracking. "_Why _can't we let it take over? Why can't we just get so angry and _force _them to do something?"

"Because, no matter how much we think it'll help, it'll only make things worse," Jay whispered. "For us, for them, for her, and for those kids."

Carlos gazed up at him sadly and shook his head. "I'm just... tired. Tired of waiting, tired of worrying... I'm so tired."

Jay had no words and simply hugged Carlos close. He knew how aggravating it was for Ben and Mal not to be making any progress on getting Evie back and upholding the proclamation. But they needed to weather it. If they let it consume them, they would do something rash and it would only slow progress even more. 

"Look," Jay said softly. "We'll go to them, okay? We'll go to them, see if they've made any progress, and tell them to get a move on. Alright?"

Carlos sniffed and nodded, snuggling against Jay's chest. "Yeah," he muttered. "Yeah, okay."

"Good." Jay grinned. "For now... let's get some rest."

Carlos offered no response and Jay slowly lowered them back. He pulled the blanket over them and tightened his grip on Carlos. With any luck, this might help him sleep. They would weather this together, but they couldn't do much while sleep-deprived. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here, I'll mostly be doing The Isle and Auradon separately because some of these future chapters are looking 2000-ish words long and that's just from the Isle side. 
> 
> Plus, time will be moving differently in either place as different events take place, so to avoid confusion, both yours and mine (mostly mine if we're being honest), it's better to have them separate unless their events coincide.
> 
> Also, the story will, unsurprisingly, be taking place mostly in the Isle anyway. This has been your lovely author's note, see you next chapter!


	7. Life Marches On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow, Mal, and Doug are... trying very hard to keep moving forward without Evie around. For the most part, they succeed. For the most part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Happy New Year! Don't worry, I haven't given up on this one, I've just been a bit busy end of year and had a different fic on my mind. Still, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Snow stalked through the halls of White Castle. Three weeks. Three weeks and the new king still hadn't pulled together anything coherent about bringing Evie home. The more she thought about it, the more restless Snow grew. But no matter how much she tried not to think about it, so many things reminded her of Evie. 

Flopping down on one of the couches in the main sitting room, she grabbed a pillow and growled into it. By this point, she had even repossessed Evie's mirror from the museum and returned it to its original size. Unlike the king, she knew a little more about what was happening with Evie thanks to the mirror, but it didn't ease her mind that much. She was thankful those Isle kids had saved Evie from her mother, but… the small things those kids might not notice were what worried her. Evie's sleeping patterns, how much she was eating, her stress levels… Snow couldn't monitor that and make sure her sister wasn't becoming self-destructive again. And it was driving her nuts.

A throat cleared near the sitting room door and Snow removed the pillow to find Bashful watching her. "Hey, Bash," she called with a soft sigh. 

Bashful moved to the couch and sat beside her, taking her hand in his. "Snow, the guys and I are worried about you. This whole mess with Evie… it's got ya in tatters, love."

Snow sighed and pressed her free hand to her face. "I know," she whispered. "I guess… while she's there, there's always the possibility of Mom catching her again, and sinking those jagged red talons into her and…" Her shoulders shook and Bashful wrapped her in a hug.

"We know, Snow," he told her gently, rubbing her back. "We know how important this is to you, how important _ she _is. But she wouldn't want you or any of her friends running yourselves ragged about it."

Snow shrugged and Bashful stood. "Come on. Why don't we take a walk through the gardens?" He held his hand out, a bright blush coming to his cheeks at the gesture. 

"Alright," Snow agreed. She accepted his hand and stood with him. Outside the door, Doc and Happy waited for them. They smiled up at Snow and she returned it halfheartedly. 

They all strolled out to the gardens and Snow took a deep breath. She loved the smell of flowers. Everything always felt so much better when the floral scent surrounded her. Birds flew closer, swirling around her. They seemed to sense her previous mood because they landed on her shoulders to nuzzle her. 

The sun shone bright as always in the Auradon sky. With summer well on its way, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Birds chirped, little animals scampered about, and the flowers were in full bloom. Everything was so… peaceful. 

As they were continuing around the gardens, a voice called out to them. "Snow! Haps, Doc, Bash!"

The group turned to see Doug striding closer. Snow moved forward and wrapped him in a hug when he reached her. "Doug! Is everyone on holiday already?"

Doug gave her a small squeeze before pulling back. "No, not til next week. I just wanted… to see how you're doing."

Snow instantly knew what he meant, but while she was fine showing her irritation around her husbands, she didn't want that negativity around Doug. He was already feeling his own. She put on a small smile. "I'm coping as best I can," she shrugged. "I… had been hoping to bring her here for her first summer break."

"Yeah," Doug muttered. "She'd love this place. The animals would love her."

They were silent for a few bitter moments before Snow cleared her throat. Pulling away from the hug completely, she turned back to the garden path. "How are you feeling about finals?" she asked. 

Doug gave a grin at the effortless switch from mourning partner to mom. Even though Snow wasn't his real mom, she had never treated him any less affectionately, as if he were her own. After his mother's death, he definitely appreciated it. 

"I'm absolutely certain I'll get high marks on everything… except art."

"Oh, that's no problem," Happy told him with a laugh. "Art takes skill and a long time to hone. It's not like memorizing and applying formulas or scientific methods. Art's not for the faint of heart."

"That's what they say about biology," Doug chuckled. 

"That too!" Happy tossed back. "Point is, if ya don't get high marks, no need to sweat it. After all, Auradon's two top artists are from the Isle of the Lost!"

Doug and Snow's expressions darkened at the reminder. Neither said anything, but the unspoken _ "and one is still there_" hung awkwardly in the air. Happy looked to his comrades for help and they shrugged. Doug cleared his throat and brushed his hands on his jeans. "Well, uh, I should probably go let Dad know I'm visiting. Don't want him throwing a fit over not being the first to see me."

He waved to them all and headed off. Snow watched him and shook her head. Doc eyed her. "Has he… given up on her?" he asked softly. 

"Not on the notion of getting her back," Snow said. "Just… the thought of dating her. He's seen those Isle kids; they're very attractive. And… well, without knowing how long it'll be before they finally decide to rescue her, he knows she wouldn't want him to miss out waiting for her."

"Well, that's a positive way of looking at it," Happy tried.

Snow nodded and hummed in thought. "I have an interview tomorrow. Would you like to help me with some baking until bed?"

"Sure would!" Bashful cheered. "I can look up new recipes for ya to try if ya want."

"That would be lovely." Snow led them into the castle, taking deep breaths. She couldn't run herself ragged. She would just have to take her mind off it as best she could. It would be simple. Simple. 

_ **…** _

Mal groaned as she awoke. She stretched and cracked her neck, back, and shoulders. The afternoon sunlight, while warm, was far too bright for her nocturnal self. Glancing over, her eyes inevitably caught sight of the other bed--the _ empty _bed--as they did every time she woke up, regardless of time of day. As she did every time she woke up, Mal felt a pang of loss. She took a deep breath and shook herself. 

Hopping off the bed, she went about her routine. With finals coming up, she had no time to slack off. It would look pretty bad if a lady of the court, no matter how tentative, got terrible scores. 

Mal grabbed up her backpack and her spellbook, heading out to the main school building. She crossed Lonnie and Jane, who waved to her before going back to their conversation about weight lifting. They'd been doing their best to keep Jay and Carlos on track, but with finals on the horizon, everyone was too high-strung to worry about more than they needed to. 

Slipping into one of the study rooms, Mal plopped onto a couch and pulled out the first book she felt. Her… chemistry book. Mal sighed, and laid it off to the side. It didn't matter how good she got at chemistry, there would always be someone better. She put that for later and grabbed her Literature notebook instead. Writing! Glorious.

Minutes ticked by as Mal went over her notes and quizzed herself on different concepts. A hand fell over her eyes just as she was getting to the end of last month's notes and she chuckled. "Ben, I have to study!" she squealed.

"Well, yeah, don't we all?" Ben laughed. He removed his hand and Mal found chocolate covered strawberries waiting on her lap. "Doesn't mean we should run ourselves ragged about it. They're just finals."

He slipped onto the couch beside her and Mal eyed him. "That's the beanie Evie gave you, right?" she asked, reaching up to finger the bright blue fabric. 

Ben's eyes trailed up and he coughed. He hadn't even thought about it when he'd slipped the beanie on his head. "Yeah, I, uh, I guess I just felt like wearing it, ya know."

Mal nodded and turned back to her Literature. Three weeks since they last saw her, they were all trying to grasp onto pieces of her, more or less. Mal flipped a page in her notebook and asked, "How are you coming along in Algebra?"

"Pretty good," Ben replied, grabbing his backpack, because of course he had brought it. "Those tutoring sessions with Evie really helped me understand formulas more. I've almost caught up to he- to Carlos." Right. Evie wasn't here and therefore no longer had official scores. 

Mal heard the stutter, but didn't say anything. She coughed and shut her Literature book. "Wanna… grab some snacks with me?" She glanced to her lap and smiled sheepishly. "These are a little heavy for casual studying."

"Yeah, of course," Ben stood and held out a hand to her. Mal took it with a playful roll of her eyes and they made their way down the hall. Students stopped to whisper excitedly about them as they passed. Ben paid it no mind, used to it from the two years dating Audrey. Mal shot glares in every direction, still not fond of all the gossip. She'd prefer they do it out of her earshot.

The cafeteria was alive with students eating, studying, or just hanging out. The buffet was stocked, as usual, and they made their way over. Mal perused the selection while Ben just grabbed a burger and a small side salad. Mal slipped a small steak onto her plate.

"Hey, Ben, Mal," Both turned to see Ally grinning at them. "How are you?"

"We're doing good, Ally, and yourself?" Ben responded politely. Mal was _ not _feeling up to entertaining the one student that had zero idea what tact was or how to let her brain catch up with her mouth.

"I'm doing well," Ally said. "I was actually talking to a few friends the other day, and, ah, well, a certain subject came up."

"A certain subject?" Mal asked. She didn't like where this was going. 

Ally nodded. "Evie's dresses." Mal's fingers tightened on her plate. "Some of the girls were wondering if they could replicate them. They'd surely fetch a hefty dollar-."

The plate shattered, the steak plopping wetly to the ground. Ally slowly inched backward as Mal dropped the broken pieces to the ground. A hush fell over the room and Mal took a deep breath.

"Let me make sure I heard you clearly, so I don't set the wrong person on fire." Ally peeped. "Did you just _ ask _ to make a quick, sleazy _ buck _off of my best friend's hard work and imprisonment?"

"I personally don't see the benefit in-." Ally gulped as Mal's eyes glowed bright green. 

Ben wasn't sure what it was exactly that stopped him from intervening. Perhaps the indignation of someone really trying to do something so underhanded. Or maybe the fact that he knew Mal missed Evie and needed to blow off steam. Or it could've been the bad part of him just relishing in someone being told off. Whatever the reason, he didn't step in to save Ally (though he would if it looked like Mal would get physical).

"I haven't heard something that slimy since I lived on the Isle," Mal growled. "Should we toss them over to see if they'll gain a wicked sense of fashion or are they going to stop trying to steal from someone else?"

"W-well, they paid for it, so technically-." 

"They paid for _labor_," Mal snapped. "Labor and fabric. Not the design, not the _rights_ to the design. It's within everyone's best interests not to let me see _ copies _ walking around anywhere. Or the Isle will be the _ least _of your problems." Her eyes bore into Ally's. "Dismissed."

Ally hurried away and Mal took a deep breath. "Finals must really be getting to people's heads," she muttered. 

Ben shook his head. "It's one thing to just sell the dress, but trying to copy it? Weren't all of Evie's designs one of a kind?"

"Yup," Mal muttered, grabbing herself another steak. "No one can replicate the exact thing. That's how good she is."

"Thought so," Ben nodded. "Shall we get back to studying? I have a meeting tomorrow and it's gonna eat into that time."

"Sounds good." With that, they strode from the shell-shocked cafeteria, not making eye contact with anyone. After their departure, whispers exploded through the cafeteria.

Mal took deep breaths as she and Ben made their way back to the study room. She couldn't believe these people. What kind of-? She wasn't dead, just… stuck! And even if she _ was _ dead, that still wouldn't be okay! What was _ wrong _with some of these people?

Ben eased them both down and he grabbed up his Algebra book. "It's alright, Mal," he told her gently. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"I know that!" Mal huffed. "I just don't need idiots on top of finals and trying to be part of the court and keeping the dragon asleep, ya know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Ben told her. He reached out and took her hand. "I get it. Just focus on your classes and everything will be okay, alright? We'll get through this."

_ We. _ Mal stared down at her steak before taking a chomp. She… would get through this. And she and Ben would be together. They would be together. They _ would_ be together. Everything would work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might be a little confusing, but the idea to replicate and sell Evie's designs wasn't Ally's. She was just speaking up on her friends' behalf, so don't worry. She won't get roasted to a crisp in this fic, I promise. I just needed something to further show how on edge Ben and Mal are about Evie not being around anymore. 
> 
> And yes, Snow is married to all seven dwarves. Dopey, Sneezy, and Bashful were in previous relationships before marrying her, though, which is why she's not Doug's mother, but is still his mom.


	8. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Evil Queen pays a visit to Ursula's diner.

Uma yawned as she stepped out of Blue's room. The nightmares had let up enough now that Uma could head to her own room once Blue was asleep. So far, no one had caught on as far as she was aware, which was how she wanted to keep it.

Slipping into her own room, Uma found Harry sprawled upside down on the bed, grinning at her coyly. 

"Welcome back," he cackled softly. 

Uma crossed her arms, a smirk tugging her lips. _Almost_ no one had caught on. "How long?" she asked.

"The whole time," Harry shrugged. "I spotted the two of you all…" he twisted his body slightly and his grin widened. "_Cozy_-like." 

Uma sauntered closer and fell onto the bed beside him. "Yeah, well, not fond of having a sudden corpse in my mom's diner."

Harry hummed softly and, despite Uma laying on the bed, somehow managed to sink himself even lower than her. He grinned up at her and asked, "So, it's ta help the pretty lass sleep?"

"Pretty much," Uma shrugged. She stared up at the ceiling of her room. "This is so stupid. It should be Mal or Jay or the dog kid holding her at night, not me. We shouldn't be fighting nightmares and potential uprisings, we should be laying on soft beds surrounded by trinkets and pillows and… and… I dunno, _food!_"

"Indeed," Harry agreed, suspending his hook in the air above him. "And yet, here we are. No sign of any rescue in sight."

"I can't believe I thought Mal would actually set us free. Six months, fifty years, what difference does it make to her? She got hers, so the rest of us can rot." She threw an arm over her eyes. "Even her so-called best friend. Should've just taken my chances trying to use that stupid wand."

Harry slid up to lay beside her. "You did what you thought was the right decision," he reminded her. "And in all my years as yer First Mate, yer intuition's never been wrong. If it told ya ta get us the pretty Sapphire, then she'll be useful." Uma held out her free hand and he kissed it. "We jus' hafta wait and see."

Uma stroked his cheek and sighed. "I hope you're right." Harry leaned into her hand with a grin. “So, what’s the news around the island?”

“Stocky boy’s been buildin ‘imself a gang,” Harry informed her. “Tryna take over, I’m guessin’. Likely wants th’ resources we’ve been harborin’.”

“Ugh, fantastic,” Uma groaned. “Mal leaves and now we’ve gotta deal with Stock’s dumb ass. Figures.”

Harry shrugged and looked up at her. “He’s go’ quite a big pair if he’s thinkin’a goin’ against us. I would admire it, if I didn’ wanna hook’im so bad for it.”

“No hooking anyone until we know how big his force is,” Uma reminded him. Harry nodded obediently. “Good. Now come here, I need my sleep, too. Who knows what we’re going to have ta do tomorrow to find out more info.”

Harry’s grin about split his face as he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Uma. She snuggled onto his chest and laced her fingers with his free hand. It was her favorite way to sleep and Harry couldn’t be happier. The two of them drifted into sleep, not really caring about the day to come.

As usual, Evie was the first to wake up. Even though the Isle didn’t get real sunlight, she could still tell when the sunlight was beating against the gray clouds overshadowing the island. Waking with the dawn was something she did in Auradon and she certainly couldn’t shake the habit here. The earlier she woke, the more she could observe. 

Brushing her hair out, Evie strode into the main area and began getting everything ready. Thanks to Uma helping her sleep, she’d managed to set up a little routine for herself. She smiled, thinking about what Snow would say. Snow always teased her about needing to follow a routine or schedule of some kind. 

_“Your internal clock is even better than most of the clocks hanging around Auradon,”_ she’d joked one day while they were walking through Auradon Prep’s garden. _“I’ll be sure to call you if ever I need to know what time it is.”_

Evie released a small sigh. She knew Ben couldn’t just wave his hands and suddenly the kids on the island were free, but… she still hoped he was doing his best. If he valued his promise to her, he wouldn’t rest until she was free. Unfortunately, after seven months watching Ben, Evie knew he valued his word, but she also knew there were a _lot _of factors that could sideline him. It’s likely close to finals at Auradon Prep by now. Ben would be thinking about that. 

Shaking the thoughts away for now, Evie continued her morning cleaning. Since returning to the island, her Isle senses had been returning as well. Her senses of sight, smell, and hearing had heightened to catch even the slightest thing amiss. She could hear Aunt Ursula moving just under the water’s surface, see shadows of customers milling about outside, and even hear some of the fisherman in the back getting ready to start their day. 

And that’s why, when she heard the click of heels coming closer to the diner, Evie didn’t even hesitate. She tossed her rag behind the counter and darted for the back hallway. She recognized that click, the sound that haunted her for sixteen years, that haunted her now. 

Ursula watched Evie dive behind the corner and raised an eyebrow curiously. Before she could open her mouth to ask, Evie pressed a finger to her lips frantically. Well, this was interesting. Knowing there was only one thing on this island that could scare Evie, Ursula gave her a nod and continued with her cooking.

Both of them heard the front door open, despite the closed sign, and the click was much more distinctive on the hardwood floor. Ursula watched Evie tense from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t give any indication that something was wrong. She couldn’t or she risked giving Evie away.

“Ursula!” Grimhilde called, staring around the main diner area. “Are you awake yet?”

“You know, Grimmy, there’s a _closed _sign for a reason,” Ursula responded. 

Grimhilde scoffed and started for the kitchen entrance. Evie’s breath caught and she carefully slid back along the hallway. As her mother’s shadow loomed right around the corner, Evie reached for the nearest doorknob and ducked into the room. She was careful to close the door as quietly as she could so as not to alert their visitor. 

“As _if_ I could be constrained by the same rules as the rabble,” Grimhilde stated, stepping toward the kitchen entrance. She was not aware of the door that shut only a few meters from her. Ursula schooled her face so her relief didn’t show through. “You know there’s no point in a closed sign considering you live right below the building. Should something happen, I’ve little doubt you or that daughter of yours would actually let them go unharmed.”

Ursula rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip, finally fully turning to face Grimhilde. “Very well, I suppose I’ll call that a fair point for now. But only because I’m wondering what business you could _possibly_ have in my _humble _little eatery today?”

Evie breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation continued. Thankfully, she hadn’t been spotted. She turned to lean against the door and froze when she realized where she had ended up. Two pairs of eyes, one brown, one blue, glared up at her from the bed. Evie swallowed and glanced at the door. She couldn’t go back out there because her mother was here, but she didn’t like the thought of Uma being angry with her either. 

“I came today because I’ve heard around this miserable island that _this _is a prime place for information,” Grimhilde drawled, crossing her arms. She couldn’t believe she was actually in this dingy diner, but she needed information, so she would have to swallow her distaste for now.

“Depends on the kind of info you’re looking for,” Ursula shrugged. She didn’t take her eyes off Grimhilde. She needed to make sure the woman didn’t start suspecting anything. The best way to get a read on her was through the small movements in her face. 

Grimhilde rolled her eyes. Of course it was going to be like this. With any luck, she wouldn’t have to get rid of anything _too _valuable in order to get what she was looking for. 

Uma sat up from where she had been cuddled against Harry’s chest. She was really starting to regret letting the princess stay. They shoulda just found her a place or put her in one of the bunks on the ship. Would’ve been less of a headache than all this. Growling, Uma stood and approached the intruder. 

Evie stared at Uma. Watched every movement. She saw Uma’s jaw twitch and, not wanting to waste any time, she lifted her hand and pressed it over Uma’s mouth. She saw the storm brewing in Uma’s eyes, but she couldn’t risk a single peep. If her mother thought, for even a second, that something was up, she wouldn’t hesitate to take her right back to the castle. The ghost of fingers gripping her wrist made Evie go cold. 

Uma was going to _pummel_ this princess. Who the Tartarus did she think she was dealing with? Uma didn’t care how _chummy_ Mal got with her friends, this girl was in Uma’s territory now. And no way in _hell_ was Uma going to let her get away with-

“I’m looking for Evie.”

The statement was so firm and clear that even the rotting wood door couldn’t muffle it too much. Evie stiffened, as did Uma. Uma’s gaze flicked to the door and she finally calmed enough to think. Blue was pale. She looked scared, her pupils were dilated, and her breathing was uneven. That voice sounded way too familiar and way too close for Uma’s liking. Uma’s gaze reconnected with Evie’s and she saw the terror shining in the princess’ eyes. 

Slowly, so as not to set the princess into a panic, Uma nodded once and backed away. Evie’s breath left her in a shaky sigh. Uma turned to Harry and began moving her hands. Evie watched them curiously, noting that she seemed to be talking to Harry with her hands. Evie was familiar with that kind of communication. She, Jay, Carlos, and Mal also had a form of nonverbal speech they’d created so they didn’t clue their enemies in to a surprise attack. 

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed when he realized what Uma was saying. His eyes flicked once to Sapphire before he nodded. Quickly, he began ‘speaking’ back, indicating that he understood the importance of the situation and would help as needed. Uma gave him a smirk and patted his cheek before turning back to Evie. 

Ursula’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “If I recall,” she said carefully. “Didn’t she get chosen to go to the wonderful world of Auradon?”

Grimhilde huffed. “She _was,_ but then, a bit ago, something happened to cause her to return here.” Ursula deepened her confused expression, not wanting to seem aware of this fact. “She was with me for three days before her cursed friend _Mal _decided to take her.” Grimhilde’s eyes narrowed. “However, I haven’t felt the barrier fall not _once_ since Maleficent’s defeat. I’d like to know how they did it.”

Ursula blinked at her, waiting. When Grimhilde said nothing further, she snorted. “Grimmy, you can’t be serious? Don’t you think if we _knew _how they went back and forth, we’d be _out _of this hellscape by now?”

“I want to know if any of your people saw the _device_, Ursula,” Grimhilde grumbled. “The first time Evie left, the limo used a device to take them. They must have used something similar to return her and the same thing had to have been used to get Mal and company back here.” She waved her hand in the ocean’s general direction. “And doesn’t your girl have eyes and ears all over the island? Someone had to have seen _something_.”

It wasn’t often Ursula had to thank the crew for their sense of loyalty and fidelity. Everyone who came to the diner knew the code. If a parent reported their child missing on the Isle, but someone spotted that child anywhere near the diner, keep the info to themselves. Ursula had no doubt that Grimmy had been asking around, looking for a lead on ‘Mal’ and her crew, but it seemed no one had said a peep. And Ursula intended to keep it that way. 

“Sorry, Grimmy. If something went down, Uma didn’t tell me about it.”

At that moment, Uma stepped from her room, fully dressed and yawning. She gave a lazy wave in Grimhilde’s direction as she made her way to the counter. “Yo, EQ,” Uma mumbled. “How’s ya girl likin’er return home?”

Grimhilde turned to Uma excitedly, ready to pounce on any new information she could. “You saw Evie come back?”

“Saw’er?” Uma laughed. “I’m the reason she’s here. Traded her in a deal with Mal, got us our ticket off this garbage heap.”

“You traded her?” Grimhilde inquired in confusion. She was trying to put all of the pieces together. 

“Yeah, I got the Princess in return for the King. Figured Mal wouldn’t wanna leave her dear best friend on this trash pile for long, so if the Princess is here, Mal will pressure King boy to get us offa the island.” Uma’s expression betrayed nothing, twisting into a sneer as she spoke of her grand plan. She knew what would follow and prepared for it.

Grimhilde stood to her full height with a sniff. “Well, I’m afraid you were both right _and wrong_ in your calculations,” she huffed. 

“What’s that s’pposed ta mean?” Uma frowned. 

“Maleficent’s spawn came back for Evie,” Grimhilde explained. A part of her took pleasure in rubbing the botched plan in Uma’s face, but most of her was angry that Mal had thwarted it. “They took her back to Auradon weeks ago. I was hoping there was any information on the device they were using. Perhaps someone working on a prototype?”

Uma’s teeth bared in a semblance of rage. She had to make this look good or the Evil Queen would come sniffing again. “That slimy lizard. Knew I shoulda just traded for the wand and took my chances with it.” She slammed a hand into the counter. “No, there’s no one working on a prototype. Mal’s the only one who had access to Fido and his inventing talent. And if what you said is true, the only bargaining chip we had is right back in Auradon.”

Grimhilde tried not to show it, but a bit of her displeasure seeped into her expression. “That’s just great,” she sighed. “I suppose this time, she won’t be returning, either.” Without even so much as a farewell, she swept out the door again. 

Uma and Ursula listened for the click of her heels. When they faded into the bustle of the island, Uma released a breath. “Damn, that was close,” she muttered. 

“Good show, Uma,” Ursula praised her with a slight cackle. “I trained you well.”

“Had to pick up somethin’,” Uma laughed. “Yo, Harry, you can come out now. Blue’s safe.”

Harry stepped from Uma’s room, also fully dressed, sauntering toward the main area. Evie followed after him a bit slower. Uma noticed that she still looked a little pale and her hands shook a little. Evie scanned the diner to confirm Uma’s words and breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks,” she whispered. 

“Anytime, Evie, dear,” Ursula responded. 

“But next time, don’t come into my room,” Uma growled. 

Evie nodded. “Sorry about that. It was the first door I could find when I heard her coming.”

“Well, if’n yer ever thinkin’a joinin’,” Harry snickered, gesturing to Evie with his hook. “Give us a heads-up first, aye?”

“Sure thing,” Evie chuckled, stepping out to switch the sign to open. 

Uma watched her go about her regular work, noticeably better than she was while hiding from her mother. Uma still couldn’t think of anything that could be bad enough to scare someone like Blue. From her more relaxed attitude about makeup, Uma didn’t think it had to do with anything being taken away from her. While the Evil Queen wasn’t necessarily weak, she also didn’t seem the type to resort to physical discipline like Gaston and Jafar. What about her mother could possibly frighten Blue?


	9. Summertime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos and Jay are adjusting to their new living conditions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter for y'all! 
> 
> Zahra - Daughter of Princess Jasmine and Aladdin  
Cherie - Daughter of Prince Naveem and Tiana

Carlos took a deep breath as he sat up. Just like usual, he woke with the sun. Even being in Auradon for months hadn’t stopped that part of his routine. On the Isle, he started his chores at sunrise. In Auradon, his whole day started at sunrise. No matter what he had going on, or how late in the day it was planned, he’d still wake up as soon as the sun’s rays hit his eyelids.

The Agrabah sector of Auradon was too hot to really have blankets on during the night, but even without them, the pajama set Evie made him still managed to stick to him from the sweat. Honestly, it might just be easier to go to sleep in his underwear. Thoughts for another time, maybe.

Carlos stretched as he looked around. The room Queen Jasmine had given him looked immaculate, just like it did the day he moved in. His laptop sat on the desk in the corner and most of his things barely took up even half of the closet space provided.

Shuffling over to his laptop, he opened it and typed in the passcode, stifling a yawn as he looked through his notifications. No word on whether he’d passed the cybersecurity exam, but it was still early in the summer. He spotted some links the others had sent into the group chat. He’d have to check those out later. 

After he affirmed that everything else was either junk or could be sorted through later, Carlos headed into the en-suite to change. He still couldn’t believe these Auradon castles had bathrooms _in_ the bedrooms. It just felt like something out of a fairy tale, which was technically accurate. 

He grabbed a quick shower and dried his hair as best he could before heading down toward the dining hall. Whenever he passed the busts and vases, Carlos couldn’t help his hand twitching a little. It was a habit he’d picked up at Auradon Prep when he was informed he didn’t have to clean anything but his own dorm room. After fifteen years cleaning the same house from morning to midnight, getting rid of old urges would take a while. 

“Good morning, Carlos!” a cheerful voice called, accompanied by the sound of claws on linoleum. Dude hurried closer and Carlos knelt to rub his ears. “Do you think they’ll have bacon on this morning’s spread?”

“You ask that every morning, Dude,” Carlos chuckled as he stood to continue toward the dining hall. “You should know by now that they’ll have bacon.”

“Obviously, I know that,” Dude snorted. “I ask to remind you not to forget to toss me a piece!”

They shared a laugh, earning strange looks from some of the staff members. Carlos was still unused to actually _seeing_ staff. Auradon Prep had no use for them outside of the sanitation team, and it wasn’t like the Isle had any. Living in Auradon really was like living in another country or something. 

Stepping into the dining hall, Carlos glanced around. Just as expected, Queen Jasmine and her family had slept in. Well, by Isle standards, they slept in. Carlos surveyed the breakfast spread and snagged a piece of bacon, handing it down to Dude. 

“I wonder what’s on the agenda for today,” Carlos muttered, taking a seat. He never really had an agenda anymore. Without classes or cleaning to take up most of the day, Carlos often found himself at a loss of what to do. He didn’t even have tourney practice or fencing since both seasons had already ended. 

“You could check out the gardens,” a voice near the door piped up. Carlos spun to find Princess Zahra watching him with a small smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Nah, it’s, uh, just habit.” Carlos cleared his throat and asked, “What were you saying about the gardens?”

“Check them out,” Zahra shrugged as she took her seat to the left of her father’s chair. “Mom and Dad said you had free reign to go wherever you pleased apart from certain areas, so why not head out? I dunno if you’re into flowers, but we’ve got plenty of them thanks to Genie.”

Carlos hummed pensively as he chewed at his chocolate chip pancakes. That was probably a good idea. It wouldn’t take up too much of the day, but a sizable chunk was better than lounging around staring at his computer screen all day. Carlos loved doing that, but he didn’t want to spend his summer doing it nonstop. 

“Alright,” he finally agreed. “Dude, we’re heading to the gardens after breakfast.”

“Sounds like fun,” came Dude’s muffled call from where he was chowing into his actual breakfast. 

The rest of breakfast passed fairly quietly. Neither Zahra nor Carlos knew one another all that well, so starting a conversation would be awkward without a buffer. Instead, Zahra wolfed down her breakfast the way her dad did, and bade Carlos a good day before disappearing. Carlos guessed she was off to the library. He’d seen her in there a few times, reading law books. 

The last bit of breakfast making its way to his belly, Carlos stood and made his way toward the gardens. He’d check the messages on his laptop later. He had his phone with him, so if anyone wanted to talk, or the group chat got active as everyone else woke up, they’d still be able to contact him. 

For now, Carlos made his way through the gardens at a leisurely stroll. It was clear from the shimmer in the air that Genie cast a spell over the plants to keep them from melting in the Agrabah heat. Thankfully, that courtesy extended to anyone walking through the gardens as well.

Carlos wasn’t in a hurry, so he took time to enjoy the plants. His fingers trailed over the petals of a red carnation and he sighed softly. Evie would love this place. She enjoyed spending time in Auradon Prep’s gardens, to the point it was usually where she and Snow went to hang out whenever Snow visited. 

Closing his eyes, Carlos pictured Evie’s smile. He loved her smile. Evie had a smile that could light up the darkest rooms. She had so many of them and most of them were precise, just the way she’d been taught. Carlos preferred the unrestrained ones. Those shone the brightest on someone like Evie. She was always so in control, both of herself and those around her. The only exceptions were her mother and Mal. 

It irked Carlos to no end, knowing that Evie was on the Isle and they were all in separate places instead of heading to the Isle to rescue her. But if they rescued her, they’d have to rescue all the kids, and Ben hadn’t prepared Auradon for something that big yet. If it weren’t for the fear that his mother would somehow find him and sink her claws into him again, Carlos would’ve just snuck back over to break her out himself. 

His phone buzzed with Jay’s ringtone and Carlos hurried to answer. “Hey, Jay.”

“Hey, how’s it goin’? Any word on the entrance exam?”

“Nah, radio silence right now,” Carlos responded, squatting next to some cacti. 

Jay hummed at that and took the short lapse to smack the ball back toward Princess Cherie. They were playing a game of ping pong. Jay had bragged about being able to multitask, and now he was paying the price. 

“How’re ya settlin’ in to the new place?” he asked, leaning into a return. 

“It’s alright.” Carlos shrugged even though he knew Jay couldn’t see it. “Definitely beats sleeping in a closet with a buncha dusty furs.”

A chuckle bubbled between them. “Yeah, I bet,” Jay snickered. “Probably nice to have a bathroom that doesn’t smell of cheap hair products either, right?”

“That’s the best part,” Carlos agreed. “How ‘bout you?”

“I think he’s spent more time in the athletics sections of the castle than anywhere else!” Cherie called, diving to stop the ball from scoring another point on her. 

“Hey, that’s not true!” Jay mock-gasped as he sent it back to her. “I’ve spent a pretty good amount of time in the kitchen, too!”

Now Cherie joined in their laughter and Carlos felt some of the pressure in his chest ease. Jay always had a way of making that happen. It was a gift. “Sounds about right! Don’t let him near any pound cake or it’ll be gone the second you turn your back.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side!” Jay whined, though the laughter in his voice only further added to the melodrama. 

“I _am_ on your side,” Carlos reassured him. “I’m on your side in concession that you can both eat _and_ bench press twice your own weight!”

More laughter filled the air. This was nice. Just three friends trading jokes and hanging out. Carlos couldn’t forget the shadow following him, but when talking to Jay, to Jane, to Lonnie and their friends, it was easier to ignore the shadow at times. 

“So,” Jay spoke up once the laughter and joking had died down. “When are ya gonna come visit? I wanna show ya my fancy new pad.”

“You gotta come see mine first!” 

They knew neither of them had done anything to their rooms yet. It just didn’t feel right decorating and furnishing when the person best at it was somewhere dangerous. And it just felt weird doing anything individually. They’d gotten a little used to it while at Auradon Prep, but Jay was all the way in Naveem’s kingdom and Carlos was in Agrabah, while Mal hung out near the ocean with Queen Ariel and King Eric. They’d never been so far apart before, especially in a way where, if something happened, they couldn’t easily come to each others’ rescue. Maybe Mal could, but Carlos and Jay were out of luck. 

“Oh, when I do come visit, I’ve got somethin’ cool I wanna show ya,” Jay said, half-focused on the ping pong game. “I think it’s pretty rad, but I need a second opinion.”

“What am I and Zahra?” Cherie snorted. “Chopped liver?”

“Pretty much,” Jay and Carlos chorused. 

“I can’t wait to see what’s got you so excited,” Carlos added. “Get back to your ping pong game. There should only be four people capable of beating you.”

Cherie barked out a laugh. “It’s about to be five!”

“Oh, you’re _so_ on!” Jay gasped. Softer, he told Carlos, “I’ll try to drop by soon. Maybe I can help with the nightmares.”

“That’d be appreciated,” Carlos muttered. “Later, Jay.”

They hung up the line and Carlos continued about his walk. All the way in Naveem’s kingdom, Cherie paused the game to watch Jay curiously. “Why didn’t you tell’im?” she asked. 

“This is the kinda thing that needs to be talked about in person,” Jay shrugged. “Now come on, I’m gonna toast you.”

“In your dreams, Island Boy.”

Jay snickered as they returned to the game. In the back of his mind, he felt the shadow tugging him, reminding him of its presence. Yes, they were still devastated over their loss and Jay was just as unhappy about it presently as he had been that first night without her. But he’d meant his words to Carlos. They couldn’t lose control of themselves. The second they did, it would be Game Over. So, they did whatever they could to keep their mind off it. Jay would continue helping Carlos as best he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm going really into Carlos and Jay in this chapter, but it's a _big_ cast. Main characters alone comes to eight (8) people, and then you have their outer circle which is also minimum eleven (11) people. Without even getting into the _tertiary_ characters, we're already at nineteen (19). This is gonna be a long trip, but I'm super glad you all are on this ride with me!
> 
> If anybody wants to see the full list of my Descendants OCs, it can be found [here](https://gothalbinoangel-fanfiction.tumblr.com/post/620090683130298368/descendants-ocs)


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